Monsters in the Mist
by newyorklghts
Summary: Stiles and his twin sister are totally different people, but more alike than people give them credit for. She is connected to everyone, but to Derek in a special way. Monsters are lurking though, waiting to tear them apart. How long will Derek and Stiles be able to protect her? Or is she cursed with a fate she never imagined? Something dark waits in the mist in Beacon Hills.
1. Chapter 1

Scarlet Stilinski couldn't be more different from her twin brother Stiles. They were twins there was no denying that though. It drove their friends, well friend, Scott crazy that they could basically communicate with one another with just a look. They also spoke in half sentences that Scott frequently didn't follow because the twins could complete one another's sentences as they were happening.

They were different though, Stiles was on the lacrosse team, though he didn't play very often, and Scarlet was involved in the arts. She sang, played piano, and painted. The music teacher at the high school was determined to get Scarlet a full ride to college on a music scholarship, which kind of freaked Scarlet out being that she was only a sophomore.

Despite their differences, Stiles and Scarlet were close, they were twins afterall, born exactly 10 minutes apart. Stiles was older, which he never let her forget. Being twins meant that when one twin was in trouble or had an idea the other got dragged into it immediately. Which was why Scarlet was sitting in Stiles' jeep waiting for him to return with his best friend Scott McCall so they could go look for the dead body that their dad had joined the search for.

Scarlet was convinced this was a terrible idea. She didn't want to wander around the woods in the dark looking for a dead body. Granted this was the most exciting thing to happen in Beacon Hills in a long time, but it wasn't her idea of a good time. Screams suddenly erupted from Scott's front porch and she glanced out to see Scott preparing to hit her brother with a baseball bat. Scarlet heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. She had told him to use the front door, but no, that would have been too easy.

Scarlet leaned across the jeep and rolled down the window. "Will you please get in here before he loses his mind in excitement, he took too much aderol today," she called to Scott.

"Thank you for your support sister," Stiles called back over his shoulder. He exchanged a few words with Scott before they both headed over to the jeep and got in. "This is going to be so cool."

"What are we supposed to do if someone finds us," Scarlet asked. Her phone rang suddenly and she picked it up without checking the caller id. "Hello?"

"What are you doing right now," the guy immediately asked.

"Um, I'm with my brother," Scarlet said glancing out the window to avoid the look that Stiles was giving her. Scott twisted in his seat to look at her as well, but quickly shook his head and turned back around.

"I want to see you, come over," he insisted.

"I can't, I'm busy, besides it late."

"Like that ever stopped you before," he countered.

"Look, we'll talk later ok? I can't right now," Scarlet said again.

"Your loss babe, I'll see you tomorrow." With that he hung up, Scarlet shook her head and put her phone back in her pocket.

"You going to tell me who the mystery man is," Stiles asked from the front seat.

"Nope," Scarlet said with a smirk. She hadn't told him because she knew it would just upset him.

"You've been seeing this guy all summer, and yet he's never been to the house, I've never seen you anywhere with him and you refuse to tell me, your twin, and Scott, our best friend, who he is," Stiles pointed out.

"I didn't know she was seeing anyone," Scott replied. He glanced in the rearview mirror at Scarlet who looked down guiltily. There had been something between them last summer, but they had decided, well Scott had decided, that it would be best to stop before they messed up their friendship and before Stiles found out. There were still some feelings between them, but most of the time they just ignored them in favor of pretending everything was fine and dandy.

Stiles shot his twin a pointed look before returning his attention to the road. Scarlet sighed again and ran a hand through her messy waves. "I didn't tell you because its not a big deal, I'm not marrying the guy, we are just... hanging out," she explained.

"Do you mean hanging out or do you mean _hanging out_," Stiles quipped.

Scarlet blushed at his statement, suddenly grateful that it was dark in the jeep. In all reality they weren't hanging out as much as they were hooking up, but her brother and Scott didn't need to know that. "I mean that you need to mind your own buisness, despite being twins I don't have to tell you everything," Scarlet shot back.

The jeep rolled to a stop as they arrived at the preserve where the body had been found. The guys immediately climbed out of the car and she followed a moment later. She ignored their conversation as she trailed behind them. She smiled slightly when the conversation turned to lacrosse though.

"No, because I'm playing this year, in fact I'm making first line," Scott told Stiles.

"Hey that's the spirit, everyone should have a dream even a patheticly unrealistic one," Stiles replied.

"Leave him alone Stiles, he worked really hard all summer, he deserves to be on first line," Scarlet called. She heard her twin scoff at her statement but Scott shot her a grateful look.

"Just out of curiousity, which half of the body are we looking for," Scott asked.

"Huh, I didn't even think about that," Stiles admitted.

"And this is why we let me make the plans," Scarlet said with a roll of her eyes.

"And what if whoever killed the body is still out here," Scott asked.

"Also something I didn't think about," Stiles replied. He glanced back at Scarlet and saw that this turn in conversation was freaking her out. "In reality though the woods are crawling with cops, so we're more likely to run into them than a killer."

"Its comforting to know you planned this out with your usual attention to detail," Scott said as he reached back to help Scarlet up the hill they were climbing. She slipped on some leaves falling foward, Scott steadied her for a moment a look of concern on his face.

"I'm good, just lots of leaves," she said before continuing up the hill. She noticed that Scott was starting to weaze. "Did you bring your inhaler?"

"Yeah," he said as he pulled it from his pocket. He offered her his other hand and pulled her the rest of the way up the hill. As soon as they reached the top, Stiles dropped to the gournd seeing cops with dogs. Scott pulled Scarlet down with him never letting go of her hand.

Stiles glanced around nervously before jumping up and taking off running. "Stiles wait up," Scott cried before taking a puff of his inhaler. Scott dragged Scarlet behind him as they darted after her twin.

A dog suddenly started barking and Scarlet gasped loudly as her twin hit the ground. She could tell from the glow of the flashlight that their dad had found him. She ducked behind a tree, pulling Scott with her.

"Hang on, hang on, this little delinquent belongs to me," their dad announced.

"Dad, how are you doing," Stiles asked.

"So do you listen in to all of my phone calls?"

"No, not the boring ones," Stiles offered.

"And where are your sister and your usual partner in crime?"

"Scott? Scott's home, said he wanted to get a good nights sleep for the first day back at school tomorrow. I haven't seen Scarlet, its just me in the woods. Alone," Stiles said quickly, it was much too quickly for their father to actually believe though.

"Scarlet, Scott, you out there," their dad called as he scanned the trees with his flashlight. Scott and Scarlet ducked behind their tree, huddling together to stay out of sight. "Well young man, I'm going to walk you back to your car and you and I are going to have a conversation about something called invasion of privacy."

Scarlet waited until her dad and brother had disappeared from sight to move away from Scott. "Shit," she muttered. Thunder sounded from above as rain began to fall. "What are we going to do now?"

"Come on, we'll get back to my house and you can call Stiles to come pick you up," Scott said holding out his hand again. Scarlet took it after a moment and let him lead her through the woods.

"These woods are so creepy at night," Scarlet whined as she followed Scott. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he stopped walking. He stared intently at the trees, before pulling out his inhaler. He started shaking it, when suddenly deer came stampeding through the clearing. Scarlet screamed and they both stumbled in their rush to get out of the way, falling to the ground. The deer leapt over them, narrowly missing them both.

It was over just as quickly as it had started and they both sat up, glancing around nervously. Scott pulled a leaf from Scarlet's hair before looking around frantically. "I have to find my inhaler," he explained as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and turned on the flashlight.

"Scott, can we just go please? We can come back tomorrow and look for it in the daylight," Scarlet said as she rose from the ground.

Her back was to Scott, so she jumped when he suddenly cried out, she twisted around in time to see him fall down an embankment. "Scott," she cried as she rushed to the edge to see if he was ok.

Scott was already standing and looking around for a way to get back up to her. He suddenly noticed something and glanced back in her direction. "Scarlet, run," he shouted as he scrambled away from whatever he saw. Scarlet heard the growl of the animal, which was unlike anything she had heard before and ran in the opposite direction. She hated to leave Scott alone, but she didn't know what else to do.

She scrambled wildly through the woods, branches scraping her face and arms as she ran. Panic began to set in as she kept running. Without warning her foot caught and she crashed to the ground. She cried out, her fear getting the best of her. Tears began to stream down her face as she struggled to get free. She couldn't even get her foot loose from the roots she was tangled in she was so scared. Someone suddenly appeared next to her and she let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Whoa, easy," the guy cried grabbing her arm to keep her still. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Scarlet stared at him in a panic, and let out a ragged sob. She jerked her leg again desperate to get out of the woods and away from this mystery man. "Please," she pleaded. "I just have to... I can't get my foot loose." Her chest began to constrict and she knew that if she didn't calm down she was going to have a panic attack.

"Calm down," he said softly. He brushed her hair away from her face, pulling a twig from it as he did so. He gently brushed some tears off her face. The gentleness of his touch surprised Scarlet and her heartrate began to slow. "What's your name?"

"Scarlet," she whispered. She stared at him in confusion as he glanced her over.

"Just making sure you didn't hurt yourself when you fell," he said as he continued to look her over.

"I think I'm ok, but my foot is stuck," she reminded him. Scarlet jerked her leg again and winced in pain as whatever she was caught in seemed to tighten.

He glanced down at her foot which he immediately shifted toward it. He began to work her free as he spoke again. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"I wasn't alone, my brother and our friend were with me but we got seperated," she explained.

"And the three of you were out here because...," he asked.

Scarlet sighed before meeting his piercing gaze. She realized for the first time, who she was talking to, and just how attractive he was. "You're Derek Hale, I didn't know you were back. I'm sorry about your family," she said before she could stop herself. Derek stiffened at her statement and she immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to be reminded of that, it was really terrible. I hate it when people tell me how much I look like my mom, its like yes thank you I know I look like my dead mother I see it every time my father looks at me. I didn't mean to upset you, you are trying to help me, and I'm being an idiot."

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much," Derek asked as he finished freeing her ankle. He rose to his feet offering her his hands. She let him pull her up and ended up much closer to him than she had intended.

"Yes, but its only when I'm nervous," she admitted.

"I make you nervous," Derek asked. His lips quirked into a smirk that caused Scarlet to blush.

"Uh, have you looked in a mirror? Besides considering I was just running through the woods like a crazy person because some animal was chasing me and my friend I think I am entitled to a little too much talking," she pointed out.

"An animal," Derek asked. She noticed the shift in his eyes from flirtatious to concern. "Did you see it?"

"No, I just heard it growl, my friend saw it and he told me to run, so I did. Why? Did you see it," she asked as she glanced around frantically.

"No, come on, you're not far from the road," Derek said as he took hold of her arm and pulled her through the woods. Scarlet struggled to keep up with his long stride, she knew that something was wrong but she wasn't sure what. "The road is just through those trees, you'll be fine from here."

"Thanks," Scarlet said as she turned to look at him, but he had already disappeared. She sighed and stumbled through the trees. She slipped down the small embankment and fell into the street. She glanced up in time to see a car slam its brakes and stop just short of hitting her. She pushed herself up from the ground and shook her head when she recognized the car.

"What the hell are you doing," Jackson Whittmore demanded when he climbed out of his car. "I could have killed you!"

"Your girlfriend would have loved that," Scarlet shot back. She met his gaze for a moment before shaking her head. "Sorry, not the time. I was with Stiles and Scott, apparently there was a body found in the woods and Stiles decided we needed to have a search of our own."

"And you have mud and leaves all over you why," Jackson asked.

"I was wrestling a bear," Scarlet snapped sarcastically. "Scott saw an animal of some sort so he told me to run, and while I was running I fell, and then I I fell down this embankment and into the road."

"You do a lot of falling," Jackson pointed out.

"Thank you captain obvious! Now are you going to give me a ride home, in case you have forgotten it is raining and tomorrow is the first day of school."

"What are you going to do for me if I give you a ride," Jackson asked, a deep smirk forming on his face. "You did blow me off earlier."

"What was I supposed to do? Tell Stiles and Scott that I couldn't go with them because Jackson Whittmore wanted to see me," Scarlet cried.

"I wouldn't call it seeing you," Jackson replied with a grin.

Scarlet let out an exasperated cry before stepping away from him. "You know what I mean, we said we weren't going to tell anyone, especially since you have this thing called a girlfriend, and I don't really want everyone to know that I've been hooking up with you behind her back! I'm not that type of girl."

"Yeah, Scarlet, you are."

"Fuck you Jackson," Scarlet shouted as she turned away from him. "I'll walk home, thanks."

"Scarlet," he cried in annoyance. "Get in the car!"

"No," she shouted back as she kept walking. Another car appeared on the road and carefully manuvered around Jackson's porsche. It rolled to a stop next to her and the passenger window rolled down.

"Need a ride," the guy asked. Scarlet leaned over to see who was asking. She could help but grin when she saw Derek staring back at her.

"Yeah actually that would be great," she said with a smile. She shot a dirty look at Jackson before climbing into Derek's car. She sat on the edge of the seat, trying not to get mud every where. She ignored Jackson shouting at her and nodded for Derek to drive.

"Friend of yours," he asked.

"Not exactly what I would call him," Scarlet replied.

"What would you call him," Derek asked with a smirk.

It was her annoyance with Jackson that made her answer so bluntly. "A fuck buddy, a friend with benefits, someone I use for sex."

Derek raised his eyebrows, obviously surprised by her answer. "You have a lot of those?"

"Tons," she snapped. She immediately regretted the way she had spoken to him and shot him an apologetic look. "No, just him, but... jesus I don't know why I'm telling you this, just ignore me."

"No, obviously you are upset, what is it," Derek asked. He surprised himself that time. He wasn't used to caring, and there was something about this girl that made him care.

"He has a girlfriend, and we've be doing this all summer, but school starts back tomorrow and I don't want to be a part of this mess anymore. I mean if she finds out she will kill me, but for some reason, Jackson just won't let it go."

"Tell him you are dating someone," Derek suggested.

"We go to the same school, he'll know I'm lying. Besides and you are going to think I am a whore when I say this, the sex is good."

"So you are staying in this relationship with no benefits for the sex," Derek asked. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen," she muttered. At the look he gave her she blushed dark red. "I know, god I'm a whore aren't I?"

Scarlet noticed that the car had rolled to a stop. Without warning Derek leaned over and pulled her body against his. "You want to go a few rounds in the backseat," he asked with a smug grin.

Scarlet immediately squirmed out of his grasp and stared at him in shock and anger. She started to hit him before he caught her hand before she could. "What the hell makes you think I would have sex with a complete stranger in the backseat of his car? I can't believe you just asked me that!"

"See, a whore would have a gone for it, you have feelings for this guy, and if this is the only way you can be with him, you are willing to do that. You have to ask yourself though, why would a girl as beautiful as yourself waste her time on a guy who isn't even willing to walk down the hallway of school holding her hand? If he cares about her as much as he claims why won't he break up with his girlfriend? And I'm sorry about before I was trying to prove a point," Derek explained. He had picked up all of that by paying attention to her emotions and her heartbeat.

"Fine, you're right," Scarlet admitted. Derek started driving again, but didn't say anything else. Scarlet occasionally gave him directions to her house. They finally pulled into her driveway and let out a sigh of relief to see that her dad was not home.

"Thanks for the ride, and for helping me in the woods," she said as she moved to open the door.

"Hey Scarlet," Derek called after her. She turned and looked at him expectantly. "You deserve more than some high school jackass."

Scarlet blushed slightly before nodding and heading inside the house. She leaned against the closed door and let out a soft sigh. A series of thuds sounded from upstairs and her twin suddenly appeared charging down the stairs at her.

"Thank god, I thought you were dead," Stiles cried before hugging her.

"Have you heard from Scott," she demanded.

"Yeah, he's fine, apparently that animal you guys saw bit him."

"Holy crap," Scarlet muttered. She noticed headlights flash across the front of the house and glanced out the window next to the door. "Dad's home, upstairs now!"

The twins scrambled up the stairs and into their respective bedrooms. Scarlet flew into her bathroom and immediately yanked her clothes off anf stuffed them into her hamper before turning on her shower and climbing into it. Someone knocked on her door.

"In the shower," she called out.

"Just wanted to say good night Scar," her dad called through the door.

"Night dad, love you!"

"Night kid, have a good day tomorrow!"

Scarlet sagged against the wall of the shower and let out a sigh, the first day back at Beacon Hills High School. Joy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As soon as they arrived at school Scarlet leapt out of the jeep and strode inside the building. Stiles had been driving her crazy all morning about last night, how she had gotten home, and who she was dating. She had told him multiple times that she wasn't dating anyone and to drop it, but he wouldn't let it go.

The low heels on her boots clicked against the tiled floor as she made her way to her locker. She quickly pulled it open and stuck some of her notebooks in it. "Morning Scarlet," a sugary sweet voice called.

"Hey Lydia," Scarlet said as she turned to look at the red head. "Love your outfit."

"Thanks, yours is great too," she said with a smile. Scarlet had known Lydia long enough to know when she was being sincere and when she wasn't. They were friends, in the sense that Lydia liked to keep her friends close and her enemies closer. Scarlet was her biggest competition academically and she was completely aware of that fact. "So, tell me Scar, why was my boyfriend calling you last night? And the night before, and the night before that?"

"He had a question about the summer reading for A.P. English," Scarlet shot back.

"And why was he asking you and not me," Lydia asked with a pointed look.

"Because I knew Scarlet had already finished the book and that you hadn't, I ran into her at the coffee shop a few days ago and we talked about it," Jackson said as he joined them. "Thanks for your help by the way."

"No problem, anytime," she said with a pointed look before spinning on her heel and striding away. She could hear Lydia laying into Jackson, but she just kept walking. He deserved it for being such a jerk last night.

Stiles caught up with her between her last two classes, a look of excitement on his face. "Are you coming to lacrosse practice today," he asked.

"I wasn't planning on it, why?"

"Scott found the body last night, he also thinks that a wolf bit him, but we are going to find the body after practice. You want to come with us," Stiles asked.

"Sure, I don't have piano today, might as well."

"Great, see you later!"

"Now I know why I don't hang out with your twin," Jackson said from behind her. "He's a total spaz."

"He has ADHD Jackson, he can't help it," Scarlet snapped as she moved around him. "I have to get to class."

"We have to talk," Jackson said grabbing her arm. She yanked it away from him and glanced around.

"Careful Jackson, someone might see and then what would you tell Lydia?"

"I'll deal with it, its not like she's a total saint."

Scarlet rolled her eyes and moved away from him. "I don't want to be late for class."

"Come on, skip with me and lets go somewhere and talk."

"You don't want to talk to me Jackson. I'm not doing this anymore, we're done here," Scarlet informed him. She turned to walk away, but didn't get far before Jackson grabbed her arm and jerked her back toward him.

"Don't walk away from me! I'm the one that gets to decide when this is over and I say that this is going on for as long as I want it to."

"That's called rape Jackson, what do you think all the colleges will think when they find out you raped the Sheriff's daughter?"

"I'll tell all the guys," Jackson threatened. Scarlet knew him well enough to know that he would do it. The last thing she wanted was the entire school to know what had happened. She also didn't want all the guys to think that she was easy. Yes she had slept with Jackson, but he was the only guy she'd been with, when they started hanging out he wasn't with Lydia. They were on one of their breaks, and Scarlet had gotten caught in the crossfire. Jackson liked that he had basically molded her into the perfect girl for him, she knew exactly what he wanted.

"Jackson, please," Scarlet pleaded. "I don't want to do this anymore. If Lydia finds out, she will lose it. She'll tell everyone, people will never look at me the same. I don't want everyone to know my personal business."

"Then stop fighting with me about this, no one has to know, Lydia won't find out. Everything will be fine," Jackson said as he tucked a loose curl behind her ear.

Scarlet heaved a sigh and shook her head at him. "Do you care about me at all or are you just using me?"

Jackson stared at her for a moment before speaking again. "I care, I do, but you and I both know that this is about one thing and one thing only. Don't pretend like it isn't good between us."

"You're an ass," Scarlet snapped. She shoved him away from her and walked away from him.

"Careful Scarlet, what will Daddy think if he hears his little girl isn't as innocent as she pretends to be," Jackson called after her.

Scarlet didn't let him see that he had hit her exactly where it would hurt, she kept walking down the hallway until she reached the doors of the school. She slammed them open and strode out. She glanced around to make sure the coast was clear before she rushed across parking lot and down the nearest street. She strode angrily away from the school her thoughts racing. She had to figure out what to do about Jackson, there had to be a way to get him to back off.

Scarlet didn't look as she moved to cross the street. She gasped when she heard squealing brakes and a car stopped just short of her yet again. She stepped back onto the curve, a small smile creeping onto her face when she recognized the car. Derek rolled the window down and stared at her.

"Do you just enjoy dangerous situations or do you have a death wish I need to know about," he called.

"Neither, I was just distracted," Scarlet admitted.

"You want to talk about it," he asked. Derek hadn't stopped thinking about her since she had gotten out of the car last night. There was something about her, the way her scent lingered in his car long after she was gone that made him crave her presence.

"Why not," she said as she pulled open the passenger down and climbed in. Derek drove a short distance before putting the car in park. They were in the parking lot that overlooked the lake near the nature preserve. They both climbed out of the car and sat on the hood.

"So, how was your first day of school," Derek asked.

"It was ok, that guy I told you about, his girlfriend saw that he had called me a couple of times so she confronted me about it. We told her it was about an English assignment."

"She bought that? School hasn't even been in for a day," Derek pointed out.

"We're all in A.P. English, we had summer reading, which is what we told her. He caught up with me later, and we got in a fight. He told me that he gets to decide when we are done and that if I don't keep... hanging out with him that he'll tell all the guys at school about us."

"Which means his girlfriend will find out," Derek surmised.

"Not just her, everyone will know, including my twin and our best friend," Scarlet cried.

"You have a twin," Derek asked. Scarlet shot him an annoyed look. "Sorry, subject change, I didn't know you had a twin sister."

"Brother, I have a twin brother, he's older by ten minutes."

"And the best friend is a boy or a girl," Derek asked.

"A boy, and they don't know about Jackson. They'd freak out, they don't like him and rightfully so, he can be a complete jerk. Jackson even threatened to tell my dad, because I said I would accuse him of rape if he didn't leave me alone."

Scarlet heaved a sigh, she glanced briefly at Derek and wondered what she was doing. She couldn't believe she was sitting here unloading on a perfect stranger. "I should go, this isn't your concern. I'll handle it," she said quickly. She slid off the hood and started to move toward the car door.

Derek leaned across the car and grabbed her hand. Their eyes widened at the electricity that shot through them both. Scarlet gasped softly and looked up to meet his gaze. They were both wondering the same thing at that moment, if simply touching hands was like that what would a kiss be like? Scarlet pulled her hand from his grasp and took a step back.

"Just stay away from him for a few days, maybe you'll get lucky and he'll forget about you," Derek suggested. Scarlet simply nodded, knowing that plan would never work with Jackson he was as likely to forget about their arrangement as he was to forget that he was the lacrosse team captain. "You want me to drive you back to the school."

"Sure, I told my brother I would meet him for lacrosse practice," she said as she glanced down at her watch. "Which is almost over, we've got to go, he's going to freak."

Derek let out a chuckle at her evident panic, but quickly climbed into his car and drove her back to the school. Scarlet lingered for just a moment, briefly meeting his gaze.

"Uh, so I guess, I'll see you around," she finally said before pushing open the car door and climbing out. Derek simply nodded in response until she shut the door and began to walk across the parking lot.

"You'll see me sooner than you think," Derek murmured.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Scarlet wandered through the woods with Scott and Stiles as they recounted what had happened that day at practice. Apparently Scott was suddenly a very good goal keeper.

"I don't know what it was, it was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball and that's not the only weird thing. I hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear, smell things," Scott explained.

"Smell things, like what," Stiles asked.

"Like the mint mojito gum in your pocket, or pine needles on Scarlet," Scott replied.

"I don't have any mint mojito," Stiles started to say as he searched through his pockets. He pulled out a piece of gum though falling silent. Scarlet sniffed the collar of her jacket but couldn't smell anything other than her perfume.

"So all this started with the bite," Scarlet asked.

"What if its like an infection and my body's flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something," Scott exclaimed.

"Let's not be dramatic," Scarlet suggested.

"You know what I actually think I've heard of this, its a specific kind of infection," Stiles replied.

"Are you serious," Scarlet and Scott asked.

"Yeah, yeah I think its called Lycanthrophy," Stiles said seriously.

"What is that? Is that bad," Scott asked in fear.

"Oh my god, really Stiles," Scarlet said shaking her head at her brother. "Are you trying to give him an asthma attack?"

"Oh yeah," Stiles said addressing Scott. "It's the worst, but only once a month."

"Once a month," Scott asked.

"On the night of the full moon," Stiles said before letting out a soft howl. Scott shoved him in response and Scarlet simply rolled her eyes. "Hey, you're the one that heard a wolf howling!"

"There could be something seriously wrong with me," Scott replied.

"I know! You're a werewolf," Stiles said growling and making claws with his hands.

"Really Stiles? A werewolf? That's ridiculous even for you, I think you are the one we need to be worried about," Scarlet called.

"Obviously I'm kidding, but if you guys see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I can find its because Friday is a full moon," Stiles explained. He shot Scarlet an apologetic look.

"I could have sworn this was it, there was the body, the deer came running, I dropped my inhaler," Scott said as he knelt down to look through some leaves. "Do you recognize it Scar?"

"Yeah, this is it," she said as she glanced around. She didn't think she'd be able to forget this particular clearing for awhile.

"Maybe the killer moved the body," Stiles suggested.

"If he did I hope he left my inhaler, those things are like eighty bucks," Scott said.

Scarlet wandered away from the boys searching the ground as she walked. She wasn't looking where she was going until she walked into someone. She glanced up assuming it was Stiles or Scott. She let out a soft gasp when she recognized Derek. He smirked at her before stepping around her to address Stiles and Scott.

"What are you doing here," he demanded. "Huh? This is private property!"

Scarlet darted around Derek and got between the guys. "We were here last night, and he dropped his inhaler," Scarlet reminded him as she motioned to Scott.

"Sorry man, we didn't know," Stiles said.

"We were just looking for it, but forget it," Scott muttered.

Derek tossed something to Scott and Scarlet turned to see that it was the inhaler. She turned back and smiled gratefully at Derek before he walked away from them. She started to say goodbye to him, but thought better of it. He obviously made her twin and Scott uncomfortable.

"Dude, that was Derek Hale," Stiles burst out. "You remember right? He's only like a few years older than us."

"Remember what," Scott asked.

"His family, they all burned to death in a fire like ten years ago," Scarlet explained.

"I wonder what he's doing back," Scott murmured.

Stiles made a scoffing sound before walking away from the clearing. Scott and Scarlet exchanged a heavy glance before following after him. They dropped Scott off at work before heading home. Scarlet went up to her room and dropped her bag on the floor. She turned back to it when her cell phone began to ring.

She noticed that it was Jackson and hit the ignore button. She tossed it on her bed, but heaved a sigh when it began to ring again. She glanced down noticing a different number this time. She grabbed the phone and answered the call.

"Hello," she said carefully.

"Scarlet, it's Lydia," said a syrupy sweet voice.

"Hey Lydia, what's up?"

"I heard an interesting rumor today and I was just curious to know... are you still dating Scott McCall?"

"I was never dating Scott," Scarlet said in confusion.

"Really? I heard that you were dating him last summer," Lydia explained.

"Who told you that?" Scarlet realized a moment later that it had to be Jackson, she'd told him about it one night. Why would he tell Lydia about that though?

"Ok, you can't tell him I told you, but Jackson was the one that mentioned it to me. He said that I couldn't get Allison together with Scott because he's dating you. Which I thought was ridiculous, because first you could do way better, and you would have told me if you were seeing someone, or just sleeping with someone. Right?"

Scarlet could hear the insinuation in her voice. She drew a deep breath before speaking. "Of course I would Lydia."

"Just like I would need to know if you knew that Jackson was messing around behind my back, which I think he is."

"Oh, um, no I don't know anything about that. I mean why would he cheat on you? He'd be crazy to do that!"

"Listen, Scarlet. I know that your position at the school is kind of... precarious if you will. You are cool, but your brother and his friend aren't. You're also really pretty, which would mean that not only will guys want to go out with you, girls will want to tell you things. So I need you to find out who Jackson is screwing around with, because when I find out, I'm going to ruin her. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear," Scarlet said. "Anything else?"

"Nope, see you tomorrow," Lydia said brightly before hanging up.

Scarlet glanced at the clock on her phone. She knew that Jackson would still be up and that Lydia would be at her house by now. Her parents always made her come on by ten on school nights. Scarlet grabbed her bag and headed downstairs. "Stiles, I'll be back in a few minutes," she shouted as she grabbed the keys and rushed out the door.

It started raining as she drove, but she at Jackson's in just a few minutes. She parked down the street and ran through the rain to his house. She called him from the back door. "You ignored my call," he said instead of hello.

"I'm at the back door, come let me in, we need to talk."

The line went dead and she waited for him to come. She huddled against the wall trying to keep out of the pounding rain. The door suddenly flew open causing her to jump. Jackson grabbed her arm and pulled her inside without a word. They silently snuck up to his room, careful to not alert his parents.

"Lydia called me," Scarlet explained as soon as Jackson shut the door.

"Yeah, she accused me of cheating tonight. I tried to call you and warn you."

"Does she know its me or is she just speculating?"

"She doesn't know who it is! She just said it was a feeling she got," Jackson exclaimed. "She's just upset cause I wouldn't have sex with her."

"Ok, is there a reason why?"

"If I tell you its because I'd rather have sex with you, would you believe me?"

"No, not really," Scarlet said with a roll of her eyes. "Look, I told you that we can't do this anymore. Now Lydia has me on the look out for whoever you are sleeping with. Also why did you tell her about Scott and I? I told you that in confidence!"

"You told me about Scott because I asked you if you had ever been with anyone else, you thought I meant dating not sex. I didn't know I was your first!"

"Uh, really? It was pretty obvious when we were done," Scarlet pointed out.

"You didn't tell me! How was I supposed to know," Jackson demanded as he sat next to her on his bed. He placed a hand on her knee and met her gaze for a moment. "Are you staying?"

"Jackson," she exclaimed as she threw his hand off her knee. "Your girlfriend knows that you are cheating on her, she doesn't know with who or why. She just does, and I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore. It's not if the shit is going to hit the fan, it's when. We both know that neither of us wants to be standing there when it does. She'll dump you, she'll kill me, and what will we have to show for it?"

"I'll break up with her," Jackson said seriously.

Scarlet scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. "I'll believe that when it happens. Stay with her, you are good for one another."

"What about you," Jackson asked. "What are you good for?"

"I'll let you know when I figure it out, I've got to get home before my dad. We agree right? This is done? The last thing you want is for people to find out you were sleeping with one of the Stillinski twins. You've got to lay off him and Scott though."

"At least it's the hot one. I'll lay off, for you."

Scarlet laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'll be sure to not tell my brother you said that, walk me out?"

Jackson rose from the bed and heaved a sigh. They quickly made their way downstairs to the backdoor. "It was good while it lasted Scar," he commented. "Friends?"

"Yeah Jackson, friends," Scarlet said before kissing him on the cheek and slipping out the door and into the rain.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"So you woke up in the woods and then ended up in some guy's pool," Scarlet asked Scott later the next day.

"Yeah, it was crazy," Scott cried. They were standing at his locker and he was getting ready to go to lacrosse practice. The door to his locker suddenly slammed shut and Jackson was standing there an angry look on his face.

"All right little man, how about you tell me where you are getting your juice," Jackson demanded.

"What," Scott asked shooting a look at Scarlet.

"What are you talking about Jackson," Scarlet asked.

"Where are you getting your juice," Jackson asked again carefully enunciating each word as he spoke.

Scott shook his head at Jackson. "My mom does all the grocery shopping," Scott explained.

"I don't think that's what he means Scott," Scarlet replied.

"Now listen McCall, you're going to tell me exactly what it is and who you are buying it from, because there is no way in hell you're out there kicking ass on the field like that without some sort of chemical boost," Jackson snapped.

"He's not on drugs Jackson," Scarlet cried in annoyance.

"Oh you mean steroids, are you on steroids," Scott asked.

"What the hell is going on with you McCall," Jackson demanded as he pushed Scott into the lockers. Scarlet grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back. Jackson took a step back and waited for Scott to say something.

"What's going on with me? You really want to know," Scott cried.

"Scott, stop it," Scarlet warned. The last thing they needed was for Jackson to be involved in whatever was going on.

"Well so would I, because I can see, hear, and smell things that I shouldn't be able to see, hear, and smell. I do things that should be impossible. I'm sleepwalking three miles into the middle of the woods and I'm pretty much convinced that I'm totally out of my freaking mind," Scott shouted. He drew a deep breath and sagged against the lockers.

"Feel better," Scarlet demanded from Scott.

Jackson scoffed at Scott, obviously not believing him. "You think you're funny, don't you McCall? I know you're hiding something, I'm going to find out what it is, I don't care how long it takes."

Jackson slammed his fist against the locker next to Scott's head before moving away from them. He turned back and smirked at Scarlet. "You should be glad she was here McCall, if it weren't for our agreement, I probably would have kicked your ass."

"Jackson," Scarlet hissed. She shook her head at him a pleading look in her eyes.

"What are you talking about," Scott demanded.

"Scarlet was at my house last night, see we had a little thing all summer, but now that its over, we've decided to be friends, and part of that arrangement is me not beating you and her twin into a pulp."

"What kind of thing did you have all summer," Scott asked as he glanced at Scarlet.

"Jackson, don't," Scarlet said as she moved toward him to push him away from them.

Jackson just smirked at her before locking eyes with Scott. "It's called sex McCall, do I need to explain that to you?"

With that Jackson spun around and strode away. Scarlet stared after him completely speechless. She glanced at Scott as he stepped up next to her.

"You slept with him?"

"Scott," Scarlet pleaded as she turned to him.

"I have to get to practice."

"Scott, please," Scarlet cried again. He shook his head and walked away from her heading in the same direction as Jackson. "Damn it!"

"Something wrong," someone asked from behind her.

Scarlet spun around to find the new girl standing there. "Hi," Scarlet breathed terrified that the girl had overheard the entire conversation. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Just you and Scott there at the end, are you ok?"

"Yeah, look um," Scarlet let out a breath and studied the girl for a moment. "You're Allison right?"

"Yeah," the girl said with a nod of her head.

"I'm Scarlet, I'm Stiles' twin."

"Oh, yeah, I was wondering when we would meet."

"Listen, I don't want you to get the wrong idea about that conversation, Scott really likes you. He's my best friend, but that's it. You don't have anything to worry about from me," Scarlet quickly explained.

"Oh, wow, you didn't have to say that, but thanks," Allison replied. "Scott told me that you and your brother were his best friends. I figured that was all that was about."

Scarlet let out a short laugh before glancing away from Allison, she noticed a familiar car in the parking lot. "I've got to go, but I'll see you later! Are you going to that party this weekend?"

"Yeah, with Scott."

Scarlet grinned in excitement. "Well I'll see you there."

"All right," Allison said as Scarlet raced to the door and pushed it open. She rushed across the parking lot and pulled open the passenger door of the car. Derek grinned at her from inside.

"Want to get out of here," he asked.

"I thought you'd never ask."

...

"So, where are we going," Scarlet asked after a few minutes. She glanced at Derek before returning her attention to the road.

"Nowhere," he said as he returned her gaze. He finally stopped the car outside the nature preserve and climbed out. He sat on the hood of the car as Scarlet joined him. "How was school?"

"Well, that guy I told you about, he told my friend about us having sex. Now he's not talking to me. It doesn't help that something is going on with Scott and Jackson is pretty sure he's on drugs."

"Sounds like you could use a distraction," Derek replied.

Scarlet shot him a flirtatious look. "What did you have in mind," she asked softly. She'd been thinking about what kissing him would be like since their hands had touched.

Derek slid across the hood of the car so that he was inches from her. He tucked a stray curl behind her ear, his fingers brushing against her cheek as he did so. He wanted her, there was no denying that, and he knew she wasn't a virgin, but there was something stopping him. Even his wolf wanted her, which was rarely a good thing, but everytime he looked at her he got the same feeling.

"I haven't stopped thinking about kissing you since the other day," Scarlet admitted as a blush crept up her face. "Silly right? I'm caught up with a huge mess and what am I thinking about? Making out with Derek Hale."

She slid off the hood of the car and moved toward the trees. She shook her head and threw her hands in the air. "I don't know anything about you, but I keep getting in your car and I keep thinking about you," she cried. She turned around and gasped.

Derek was right behind her, his hands wrapped around her waist immediately and he backed her into a tree. He pressed his body against hers holding her in place as his hands grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the bark. "I haven't stopped thinking about it either," he replied before crashing his lips against hers.

Scarlet felt sparks run through her body and she opened her mouth, letting Derek deepen the kiss. Her hands flexed against his trying to pull away so she could touch him. She needed to have her hands on him. That kiss sparked a desire in her for more. She turned her head to the side gasping for air and Derek kissed a trail down her neck that left her whimpering. He released her wrists and her hands immediately twined in his hair. His hands found her waist again and they played with the hem of her shirt before sliding beneath it.

His warm, rough hands slid up her torso making her arch against him. His hands stopped just below her breasts and she whined in protest. "Are you sure this is what you want," Derek asked. His pupils were blown wide with desire. He didn't think he could stop if this went much further.

"I don't know," Scarlet admitted, "but I feel like, this is right, like we're supposed to be here together, and this is supposed to be happening."

"Yes or no Scarlet," Derek said with a small smile. Already he found her tendency to over analyze things endearing.

"Yes," Scarlet said before kissing him hard. His hands slid back up cupping her breasts. She broke the kiss and moaned into his neck. Derek's lips trailed down her neck and he began tugging at her shirt. Her hands fisted in his shirt and she pushed against him.

Derek met her gaze to see that she was shaking her head at him. He took a tiny step back and released her shirt. Scarlet tugged it back into place and met his gaze briefly before stepping around him.

"I can't do this," Scarlet said as she continued to shake her head. She ran a hand through her hair and met his gaze again.

"Talk to me," Derek said as he reached out and brushed his fingers up the length of her arm. He tangled his fingers in her hair and waited for her to tell him.

"It's not that I don't want to, its not that at all. I don't know you, I don't how old you are, your favorite color, if you have a middle name. What is your favorite food? What music do you listen to? You don't know anything about me either, you didn't know I had a twin, I play piano, I can sing. I love to paint. I... think that maybe we should... get to know one another and see what happens," Scarlet suggested.

"So... we can't do this anymore," Derek asked.

Scarlet laughed and hit him on the chest. "Yeah, but we're going to go slow, and we're going to get to know one another."

"My middle name is Mathew, my favorite food is steak, I like rock music, mostly classic rock, but any rock really. My favorite color is green, I like the way pine needles smell."

Scarlet giggled again and leaned against him. "My middle name is Elizabeth, my favorite food is mashed potatos, I like all kinds of music, seriously everything, my favorite color is blue. I like the smell of rain."

Derek wrapped his arms around her and she rested her forehead against his shoulder. He briefly wondered as they stood there if this was what it was like when you met your mate. He shook his head at the thought, he felt like a girl for wondering such a thing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Stiles," Scarlet called as she came up the stairs of the house. She had just gotten home from piano practice, Stiles was supposed to pick her up, but she had to walk when he never showed. "Stiles what the hell are you doing?"

Scarlet entered her room and saw that her brother was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. "Twin, have you lost your mind? What is going on? Also you were supposed to pick me up 45 minutes ago," Scarlet reminded him.

"Research," Stiles mumbled as his eyes continued to scan the computer screen.

"What kind of research?"

Someone pounded on his bedroom door and Stiles jumped in his seat. He quickly moved over to the door and found Scott waiting in the hallway a grin on his face. Scott's face fell when he saw Scarlet sitting on Stiles' bed though.

"Get in here, you have to see this," Stiles quickly said. "I've been up all night reading websites, books, all this information."

"How much aderol have you had today," Scott asked as he glanced at Scarlet.

"A lot, doesn't matter, just listen," Stiles replied.

"Oh is this about the body? They find out who did it," Scott asked as he sat down next to Scarlet. She gave him a tiny smile which he ignored.

"No, they are still questioning people, even Derek Hale!"

"Oh, the guy in the woods we saw the other day," Scott asked.

"Why are they questioning him? He's not a murderer," Scarlet immediately said.

"Yeah, ok whatever, but that's not it ok," Stiles cried.

"What then," Scott asked.

"Remember the joke from the other day? Not a joke anymore," Stiles explained.

"Come on Stiles," Scarlet said with an incredulous look.

"The wolf bite in the woods, I started doing all of this reading, do you even know why a wolf howls," Stiles asked as he leapt out of his chair.

"Calm down," Scarlet warned.

"Should I," Scott asked.

"It's a signal, when a wolf's alone it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack. So if you heard a wolf howling it means others could have been near by, maybe even a whole pack of them."

"A whole pack of wolves," Scott asked.

"No, werewolves," Stiles replied.

"Oh god," Scarlet moaned as she flopped back on the bed. "Stiles, they aren't real!"

"Are you seriously wasting my time with this? You know I'm picking up Allison in an hour," Scott reminded him.

"I saw you on the field today Scott, what you did wasn't just amazing it was impossible."

"Yeah so I made a good shot," Scott said softly.

"NO, you made an incredible shot," Stiles said as he took Scott's backpack and put it next to Scarlet. She sat back up and stared at them. "I mean, the way you moved, your speed, your reflexes. People can't just suddenly do that overnight. And there's the vision and the senses and don't even think that I don't notice that you don't need your inhaler anymore!"

"You don't," Scarlet asked.

"Ok, dude I can't think about this now! We'll talk tomorrow," Scott replied.

"What? No, the full moon is tonight! Don't you get it," Stiles demanded.

"What are you trying to do? I just made first line, I got a date with a girl I can't believe wants to go out with me, everything in my life is somehow perfect! Why are you trying to ruin it," Scott cried.

"I'm trying to help," Stiles said.

"You guys, calm down ok," Scarlet said from her spot on the bed.

"You're cursed Scott, and you know its not just the moon that will cause you to physically change. It will also just happen to be when your blood lust will be at its peak," Stiles explained patiently.

"Blood lust," Scott and Scarlet asked.

"Yeah, your urge to kill."

"I'm already starting to feel an urge to kill Stiles," Scott replied.

"Scott," Scarlet snapped. She shook her head at him an angry look on her face. Yes, Stiles was being ridiculous, but there was no reason for that.

"You have to hear this," Stiles said as he spun in his chair and grabbed a book off his desk. "The change can be caused by anger or by anthing that raises your pulse. All right? I haven't seen anyone raise your pulse like Allison does. You've gotta cancel this date, we're going to call her right now."

"Stiles don't," Scarlet said as he began to search through Scott's bag for his phone.

"What are you doing," Scott demanded.

"I'm cancelling the date," Stiles replied.

"No," Scott shouted. "Give it to me!" He grabbed Stiles and slammed him against the wall, raising his fist to punch him.

"Scott," Scarlet cried as she jumped off the bed. She grabbed the back of his jacket and tried to pull him away from her twin. "Get off him!"

Scott turned and hit the desk chair toppling it over. Scarlet jumped back out of his way, stumbling onto the bed as she did so.

Scott looked from the chair to Scarlet to Stiles. "I'm sorry, I've got to go get ready for that party," he said as he moved away from Stiles. He picked up his bag and headed toward the door. He looked back at Stiles who still had not moved. "I'm sorry."

Stiles bumped his head against the wall as Scott left the room. "Stiles are you ok," Scarlet asked.

Stiles picked the chair up and set it back on its feet. He froze staring at the back of the chair. "What is is," Scarlet asked. She climbed off the sofa and made her way over to him. "Oh my god, Scott did that?"

"Yeah, do you believe me now," Stiles asked.

"Stiles, werewolves? I mean its a little far fetched," Scarlet replied. At the wounded look on her brother's face she quickly continued. "I'm sorry, if you really think that is what is going on with him, then I believe you. I... I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"Uh, no, we are going to that party," Stiles said quickly.

"Stiles, Jackson and Lydia are throwing the party, and I'm sorry, but you weren't invited," Scarlet reminded him.

"Did they invite you?"

"Well, yeah, I guess we are going huh?"

"Yeah, go get dressed, we have a party to crash. Do me a favor and stay away from Scott though, if he freaks out at this party I have no idea what we are going to do."

"Sure," Scarlet said with a shrug. "Not like I want to be a werewolf too."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

By the time Scarlet and Stiles got to the party it was already in full swing. Scarlet grabbed a drink off one of the trays that was being passed around and scanned the crowd. "I'm going to go mingle, see who is here, I'll text you if I see Scott," Scarlet told Stiles.

"I'll text you too," he said before disappearing into the crowd.

Scarlet made her way to the backyard where people were dancing. She continued to scan the crowd until she noticed that Scott was already there with Allison. He was staring at someone though. She glanced over and saw Derek off to the side.

Scarlet texted her brother to let him know where Scott was then made her way over to Derek. "Fancy seeing you here, you're a little old for a high school party aren't you," Scarlet asked.

Derek kissed her on the cheek as he glanced over her shoulder. "I figured you would be here so I thought I would crash," he said softly. "You look... does damn qualify as a compliment?"

Scarlet laughed and rolled her eyes. "Thanks, and yes I think it does. You don't look half bad yourself. Why are you hiding out by yourself over here?"

"People watching," Derek explained. She turned and noticed that Scott was watching them intently. "What is your friend staring at?"

"Who knows, he's been kind of weird lately."

"How so," Derek asked.

"Oh I don't know, weird dreams, uh sleep walking, moody, he and my brother got into an argument earlier and they never fight," she explained.

"Was he one of the guys in the woods with you that night?"

"Yeah, he was the one with me before I got lost and you had to get me out of that mess."

Derek simply nodded as he continued to watch Scott. He and Scarlet continued to talk until she noticed Derek stiffen suddenly.

"You ok," Scarlet asked.

"I think something is wrong with your friend," he said pointing over to Scott.

She turned and glanced at Scott who was moving away from Allison. She pulled out her phone and texted Stiles to let him know something was up. "I'll go ask Allison if everything is ok," she said quickly.

Scarlet pushed her way through the crowd, joining Allison. "Hey is he ok," she asked.

"I don't know, we should check on him," Allison said before grabbing her wrist and pulling her out to the front of the house. Scott was driving away by the time they got out front.

"Allison," a voice said from behind them. They both turned to find Derek standing behind them. "I'm a friend of Scott's. My name's Derek, he asked me to give you a ride home."

"Oh, ok, thank you," Allison said as she moved toward Derek.

"I'll come too," Scarlet said quickly. She knew that Derek and Scott didn't know one another and she had a feeling something weird was going on.

...

They dropped Allison off and Scarlet noticed after she had gotten in the house that she had forgotten her jacket. "I'll just give it to her at school on Monday," Scarlet said softly. She didn't notice where Derek was driving until he passed her street. "Uh, Derek, I live back there."

"You need to see something," he said as he kept driving. "Your friend Scott is in danger."

"What do you mean in danger," Scarlet demanded.

"I need you to trust me, I won't let anything happen to you," he assured her.

"Derek what is going on?"

Derek parked his car and grabbed Allison's jacket out of her hands. He climbed out of the vechicle and Scarlet had no choice but to follow him into the woods. Scarlet stumbled along the way trying to keep up with Derek. He paused next to a branch and hung the jacket on it.

"Will you please tell me what you are doing," Scarlet asked when she caught up with him.

"I need you to go, way over there," he said as he pointed off to his right.

"Why? What is going on," Scarlet demanded.

"Just do it, you'll understand soon I promise," Derek replied.

Scarlet stood there for another moment before heading in the direction that he had pointed. She froze when she heard someone coming through the woods. She immediately ducked down behind some bushes, hoping she was hidden.

Scott appeared in the clearing she had just left. He said something and after a moment Derek appeared and tackled him. The two of them were rolling across the ground toward Scarlet's hiding spot. Derek pinned Scott to a tree and began to talking to him, but Scarlet couldn't make out the words.

Derek suddenly pulled Scott to his feet and began running away. Scarlet sat paralyzed as something flew threw the air and hit a tree, creating a bright flash. A second later Scott let out a scream of pain. Three men appeared with weapons on the opposite side of the clearing from Scarlet.

As scared as she was, she knew she had to help Scott. She rose to her feet just as one of the men went flying through the air. The other got tossed and she rushed forward to help Scott. Derek beat her there though and yanked the arrow out of his arm. Derek grabbed her arm and pulled her behind them as they took off running.

Scarlet felt like they had run forever before she said anything. "Stop, I think we lost them," she said as she doubled over and attempted to catch her breath. "What the fuck is going on Derek?"

"Scarlet, what are you doing here," Scott demanded. "Who were they?"

"Hunters, the kind who have been hunting us for centuries," Derek replied.

"Us, you mean you! You did this to me," Scott shouted.

"Did what," Scarlet demanded.

"Is it really so bad Scott? That you can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope, you've been given something that most people would kill for. The bite is a gift," Derek shot back.

"The what? And human, Scott is human," Scarlet cried.

"I don't want it," Scott gritted out.

"You will, and you are going to need me if you want to learn how to control it. So you and me Scott, we're brothers now," Derek said as he leaned forward and put his hand on Scott's shoulder.

Scott slid down to the ground as Derek moved away from him. "Come on Scarlet, I'll take you home now," Derek said.

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you explain this to me," Scarlet cried.

Derek turned and looked at her. He cocked his head to the side as he stared back at her. "You already know what is going on, you knew at the party that there was something happening to Scott, I don't have to explain it to you Scarlet, you know."

"Are you... did you do this to him? Are you like him," Scarlet asked.

"I am," Derek said with a nod.

Scarlet drew in a ragged breath and glanced between Scott and Derek. "I can't... I have to," she mumbled as she turned and fled into the woods.

"We have to stop her she'll get hurt by herself," Scott said as he struggled to stand back up.

"She'll be fine, the hunters are gone. She needs time to accept this," Derek explained. "She won't be able to stay away."

"Why," Scott asked as he stared after Scarlet.

"I'll explain it to you later, you should get home, you'll be fine now," Derek told him. Scott turned to say something to him but he had already disappeared.

...

Scarlet ran blindly through the woods, not caring where she was going. It wasn't until she got to the parking lot of the preserve that she stopped running. She realized that her purse was still in Derek's car, which was gone now. She let out a sigh of frustration, jumping when she heard a twig break behind her.

Scarlet dug her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her numbers until she found her brother. He didn't pick up his phone though. "Stiles, I need you to come get me please," she pleaded. She kept walking until she reached the main road. After ten minutes her brother still hadn't called her back so she called someone else. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, you left pretty quickly tonight," Jackson said.

"Can you come and get me? I'm on the road that lead's to the preserve, no questions asked please?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes. Are you ok," Jackson asked. Under any other circumstances she would have been touched by his concern, but right now she just wanted to get out of the woods.

"Not really," Scarlet said as she tried to reign in her emotions.

"I'll be there soon," Jackson said before hanging up the phone. Scarlet sat down on the side of the road and pulled her jacket tighter around her body. She couldn't help but feel like someone was watching her.

True to his word, ten minutes later, Jackson's car rolled to a stop next to her. He climbed out and immediately knelt in front of her. "Are you ok? What happened," he asked as he pulled some leaves out of her hair.

"I don't want to talk about it, can I stay at your house tonight," she whispered.

"Yeah, of course, are you sure you are ok? You don't need to go to the hospital or anything?"

"I just want to get out of here," she said as Jackson helped her to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her over to the passengar side of his car. He pulled the door open for her and made sure she was in, before shutting it. His eyes scanned the woods as he circled around the car and climbed in.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Scarlet woke up the next morning, warm and comfortable. She didn't feel safe though. Her eyes flew open when she remembered what happened last night. She shot straight up in the bed. Jackson gasped and sat up next to her.

"What is it," he demanded as she stared around the room. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, no, I mean, uh, I don't know," she babbled.

"Calm down, what happened last night?"

"I have to go," she said suddenly climbing out of the bed. "Thank you, but I have to go, there is something I have to do!"

"Scarlet, wait are you ok," Jackson called after her, but she was already rushing out the back door.

Scarlet walked back to her house, she paused when she reached the end of her driveway, but her dad's car was already gone for the day. She quickly found the key they'd hidden since Stiles always lost his house key and let herself inside. She heard a car pull up in the driveway and darted up the stairs throwing herself in her bed. She pulled the blankets up and pretended to be asleep. She realized as her brother clambered up the stairs that she was still wearing Jackson's clothes.

Her door creaked open but Scarlet faked sleep. Stiles shut her door back and went into his room. She threw the blankets back and got out of bed. She showered first before changing clothes. She couldn't stop thinking about what Derek had said to her last night. The last thing she wanted was to believe what he was telling her.

Scarlet left her room and went to check on Stiles. He was asleep in his room. Scarlet ran a hand through her still damp hair before walking down stairs. The keys to the jeep were sitting on the kitchen table. Scarlet studied them for a moment before scooping them up and heading out the door.

She climbed into the jeep, cranking it and quickly backing out her driveway. She sighed as she reached for the radio and cranked up the first song that she heard.

_Just when you had me down_

_I go changing my ways_

_And I wait till the moon is out_

_It's just part of my game_

_This is a cautionary cry to you_

_Before you figure out what I've been turned into_

_Just close your eyes and try to think it over_

_You realize I'm not the man you know, girl_

_I hypnotize ya_

_I paralyze ya_

_Go on and scream 'cause nobody's gonna find ya_

Scarlet turned the song up louder as she began to listen to the words.

_Did I ever think to tell you that I am a monster?_

_You have never seen this side of me_

_Maybe I should wear a warning that says that there's danger_

_If you ever get too close to me_

_I've been telling you to run away_

_But you say you're not scared_

_But when I break your heart some day_

_Girl you need to be prepared_

_So listen close I got a dirty little secret_

_The kind that takes away the air you try to breathe in_

_You won't believe it_

_Until you feel it_

_If your love is blind I guess that's why you didn't see it_

_Did I ever think to tell you that I am a monster?_

_You have never seen this side of me_

_Maybe I should wear a warning that says that there's danger_

_If you ever get too close to me_

She stopped the car and stared at the radio in shock. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized that Derek was right. She knew the truth she just didn't want to admit it. Fear, cold and steady settled in the pit of her stomach as she listened.

_Well you don't know_

_What I know_

_And you don't know_

_What I know_

_That you're not safe_

_Woo hoo_

_Woo hoo_

_Did I ever think to tell you that I am a monster?_

_You have never seen this side of me_

_Maybe I should wear a warning that says that there's danger_

_If you ever get too close to me_

_Did I ever think to tell you that I am a monster?_

_You have never seen this side of me_

_Maybe I should wear a warning that says that there's danger_

_If you ever get too close to me_

_Did I ever think to tell you that I am a monster?_

Scarlet struggled to get a breath but she felt like the jeep was closing in around her. She threw the door open and stumbled out gasping for air. She hadn't realized that she was at the lake until that moment. She let out a strangled cry and slammed the door to the jeep shut. She rested her forehead against the window for a moment as she tried to control her breathing.

Scarlet realized that she was having an anxiety attack. She grabbed the door handle to the jeep but the door was locked and her keys were inside. She began to panic as she struggled with the door trying to get it open.

A hand closed around her elbow and pulled her around. If she hadn't been in the midst of an anxiety attack she would have screamed. Scarlet came face to face with Derek. Tears welled up in her eyes as her heart rate increased even more.

"Are you ok," Derek asked concern all over his face.

Scarlet didn't know which was worse, the fact that knowing what he was had caused her to have an anxiety attack or having him here with her while she had an anxiety attack over it. She shook her head at him, and gasped again. She felt like she couldn't get enough air. Her heart was accelerating again as she stared at him.

Realizing what was happening, Derek grabbed her hand and held it to his chest. "Try to breathe with me," he said as he took a deep breath. She felt his chest rise and fall, she could also feel his steady heartbeat beneath her palm. She kept her eyes on her hand, unable to actually look at him. She wasn't sure how long it took but she was finally able to calm down and get her heart back to a steady beat.

"What are you doing here," she asked softly. She didn't look up as she spoke to him. She was afraid of what would happen if she looked at him.

"I knew something was wrong, so I came to find you."

Scarlet stiffened at his statement and shook her head. "I need you to leave me alone."

"That's not what you really want."

"How do you know what I want," Scarlet demanded as she looked at him for the first time.

"Because I can hear your heartbeat, and it sped up when you said that, so I know you are lying. You also still have your hand on my chest, even though I'm not holding it there."

Scarlet yanked her hand away. "Even if I am lying, you have to leave me alone."

"Why?"

Scarlet let out an exasperated sound and moved away from him. "I get it now, I understand... what you are. That doesn't mean I'm ok with it though. You hurt Scott!"

"I didn't bite Scott," Derek cried in annoyance. "I didn't, but I can help him. Trust me Scarlet, he's going to need help, because there is no way he can control this on his own."

"Fine, you didn't bite him. What's stoping you from biting me," Scarlet demanded. "How do I know that you aren't going to hurt me or ..."

"Turn you into a monster," Derek finished for her. "That's what you were going to say isn't it?"

Scarlet met his gaze for a moment and her brown eyes glazed with tears when she saw the hurt look in his eyes. She nodded as she glanced away from him.

"Scarlet, I didn't have a choice in this matter, I was born like this. I would never force this life on someone though. If I was asked, then maybe I would, but not without telling them what comes with it, the good and the bad. Trust me, there is a lot of bad. I know that better than anyone."

Scarlet looked at him again, putting more of the pieces together. "Your family," she whispered. "They were killed because of what... what you are?"

"Those men in the woods last night, people like them have been after us for centuries. I don't know if it was those men specifically that killed my family, but I have a hunch I know who it was."

"I'm so sorry."

"Didn't we agree that we hate it when people tell us how sorry they are for us," Derek asked.

"No, only when they compare me to my mom," Scarlet replied. "I am sorry though, you lost everyone. That must be incredibly hard for you."

Derek gave her a look and she pursed her lips. She glanced away from him and took a deep breath.

"You don't have to be scared," Derek whispered.

"I don't know what else to feel," Scarlet admitted. She met his gaze, holding it as he moved closer to her. Her heart was pounding by the time he was in front of her. He slowly trailed his fingers up her arm, across her shoulder to her neck then gently across her cheek. His thumb brushed her bottom lip for a moment.

"What do you feel now?"

Scarlet didn't speak, she simply stared at him. His green eyes grew darker as he stared back at her. Her gaze flickered down to his lips then back up to lock with his.

"I don't want to be scared of you, but there are so many ways you could hurt me, not just physically," Scarlet whispered. She looked down again. "What if this doesn't work? You barely know me, what if you change your mind? What happens when you leave again?"

"What makes you think I'm going anywhere now that I've found you?"

"That isn't enough Derek. You are a werewolf, and I'm just a human."

"Scarlet," Derek said as he tipped her head up and locked his gaze with hers. "You don't understand right now, but you will. I can't leave you, I will protect you. I promise."

With that, he crushed his lips to hers, pulling her as close as he could. Her hands landed on his chest, and she could feel his steady heartbeat against her palm. She parted her lips and let him deepen the kiss. They broke apart to breathe a moment later and Scarlet felt a burning sensation on her back between her shoulder blades.

Scarlet gasped in pain and reached back a hand. She reached inside the back of her sweater and could feel that her skin was raised. She glanced up at Derek for a moment. She tugged her sweater over her head and turned so he could see her back.

"What is that," she asked.

Derek's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't thought it would happen so fast. He knew she was his mate, but he never thought the mark would appear so soon. It was the same as his, but while his was black, hers looked as though it had been tattooed in white ink, the skin was simply raised in the same design.

"It's a triple spiral, also called a," Derek started to say.

"Triskelion, it's a celtic symbol for the phases of the moon," Scarlet said in wonder. "I don't understand. Why is... what happened?"

"Scarlet, are you sure that you are prepared for this," Derek asked.

"Just tell me what it is doing on my back Derek! I'm the one that is going to have to explain this if it doesn't go away," Scarlet snapped.

"It's not going away, this mark links you to me. I have the same one in the same place on my back. Mine is black though, while yours is merely raised. This connects us and makes the bond between us stronger," Derek explained. He skirted around the fact that it tied them together permanently.

"So... because we are... we don't even know what we are Derek! I'm pretty sure us being together is illegal is several states if not the entire country! Now I have your mark on my back to prove that I belong to you!"

"It proves that I belong to you too Scarlet! The mark means we are in this together."

"Are we going to talk about the age difference here? Or are you going to pretend its not an issue," Scarlet asked.

"I'm only four years older than you," Derek replied as though it were no big deal.

"You're twenty, and you have no problem dating a 16 year old? Do you really want to be that guy?"

"What guy?"

"Never mind," Scarlet said with a shake of her head. If he didn't get it she certainly wasn't going to spell it out to him. "So... what do you do? I mean do you have a job? Are you in college?"

"Neither right now, I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"My sister," Derek said as he glanced away from her.

"Your sister, I thought your entire family was dead."

"They are."

Scarlet stared at him in confusion. "Your sister died too?"

"She was murdered."

"By who," Scarlet asked.

"That's what I'm going to find out."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Monday morning Scarlet rode with Stiles to school. She hadn't told him about seeing Derek over the weekend or about the mark that was now between her shoulder blades. She made it through the entire day without incident, after school she practiced piano in one of the labs while Stiles was at lacrosse. She headed over to the locker rooms to meet up the guys after practice.

"You tried to kill me," she heard Stiles say. Scarlet rushed into the room terrified that it was Derek.

"What is going on," she demanded.

"It's like I told you before, its the anger it's your pulse rising. It's a trigger," Stiles told Scott as he knelt in front of him.

"But that's lacrosse," Scott replied. "It's a pretty violent game if you haven't noticed."

"Still waiting to be filled in," Scarlet reminded them.

"Well it's going to be a lot more violent if you end up killing someone on the field," Stiles replied.

"Who did you hurt," Scarlet asked.

"You can't play Saturday, you're going to have to get out of the game," Stiles said still ignoring Scarlet.

"I'm first line," Scott said.

"Not anymore," Stiles pointed out.

"Enough," Scarlet snapped. "One of you tell me what is going on right now!"

"Scott tried to kill me, but it's fine I sprayed him with the fire extinguisher."

"I thought you were working on getting things under control, isn't Derek helping you," Scarlet asked.

"No, I don't want his help," Scott cried.

"You may not want it, but you obviously need it. Who did you hurt during practice?"

"Jackson," Scott and Stiles said together. Scott gave her a look as she stared back at him.

"Screw you Scott," Scarlet snapped before striding out of the locker room. She stormed out to the parking lot and grabbed the door handle trying to get into the jeep. Stiles had locked it though. "Damn it!"

"Need a ride," Derek called. Scarlet spun around to find him sitting on the hood of his car.

"Sure, why not?" Scarlet climbed in the car with him. "Did you see what Scott did at practice?"

Derek glanced at her for a moment before returning his attention to the road. "Yeah, I saw. I'm going to deal with it."

"You aren't going to hurt him are you?"

"If he's not careful, everyone will know what he is, and that will lead them to me and everyone else like me. It's not safe. If he can't learn some control, then I'll have to deal with it."

"But you won't hurt him will you?"

"No, Scarlet. I won't hurt him," Derek said after a moment.

"That's all I wanted to hear."

"You are kind of impossible you know that right?"

"Oh, I am completely aware," Scarlet said as they pulled up in front of her house. "You want to come in?"

"Your brother will probably be home soon and he is not a fan of mine. I'll see you later though."

"Yeah, ok," Scarlet said as she started to climb out of the car.

"Scarlet," Derek called. She turned back to look at him and surprised her by pressing his lips to hers. She leaned into the kiss, letting him deepen it. Derek pulled her back into the car and she closed the door. He inched her shirt up just a little and his fingers played across the smooth skin of her torso. Scarlet's fingers tangled in his hair as she tried to pull him closer to her.

"Derek," she gasped when they broke apart for air. His lips were working down the side of her neck making her whimper. He hummed in acknowledgement, but she had forgotten what she was going to say to him.

The wolf in Derek, wanted to pull her into his lap and let her ride him, but he knew that they needed to take things slow. He began to pull away from her, but she kept trying to tug him back.

"No, don't," she whispered against his lips.

"Scarlet, we should slow down."

"Why," Scarlet asked as she looked up at him. "Afraid you can't control yourself?"

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," he replied.

Scarlet pulled back slightly, she had been teasing him. "You mean, you could hurt me or that we could get carried away?"

"We could get carried away, I have enough control to not hurt you."

"Then why are we taking things slow," she asked. The question kind of surprised her, she wasn't the type to just jump into bed with a guy, but she trusted Derek and she wanted to be with him.

"Because I said so."

"And if I don't agree with that," she asked.

"Not really anything you can do about that," Derek pointed out.

"So... we aren't having sex or anything of the sort?"

"No, we aren't."

"We'll see about that," Scarlet said before sliding out of the car.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Scarlet didn't see Derek again for the rest of the week. She was also avoiding her brother because he wanted to know what was going on, and Scott was avoiding her because of Jackson, who she was avoiding because she was pissed at him. The only people she was speaking to at school were Allison and Lydia, which wasn't going so well on the Lydia front because she knew something was going on with Jackson and Scarlet.

Friday after school, Scarlet had put up with all she could handle so she left early, and headed to the woods. She hated to leave Stiles without the jeep but she needed to get away, she told him she wasn't feeling well and took off. In reality she just wanted to see Derek.

It didn't take long to get to the parking lot where they usually met. She left her car there and followed the path that led to his house. She couldn't believe he was actually staying there, but knowing what she did she couldn't really blame him. Scarlet paused when the house came into view, she didn't want to bug him, but she needed to see him.

"You going to come inside or stand there and stare," a voice asked from behind her.

Scarlet jumped and let out a yelp in shock. She twisted around to find Derek standing behind her a smug look on his face. "Shit, you scared me. Don't do that," Scarlet exclaimed.

"You want to come in," Derek asked again.

"Sure," Scarlet replied before following him toward the front door. "What have you been up to this week?"

"Trying to deal with Scott."

"He's not letting you help him?"

"Any idea why that is," Derek asked instead of answering her question.

"He's still convinced that you are the one that bit him, you aren't right? I mean I know you said that you didn't but maybe you don't remember because you were ... I don't know how it works, were you a wolf when you did it or you blocked it out because you regret doing it, I mean you were in the woods that night because you found me. Remember? I had fallen down and was tangeled up in those thorns or whatever, you showed up out of nowhere," Scarlet rambled nervously.

"Do you remember what I told you that night," Derek asked as he opened the door and waved her inside.

"That I talk too much," Scarlet said as she stepped past him and moved inside. "I only do it when I'm nervous though, I told you that."

Scarlet paused and stared around the inside of the house in amazement. It was still beautiful even in this state. She could see that Derek had started doing some work to restore some of it, but it was going to take a long time to return it to its former glory.

"Why are you nervous," Derek asked. He leaned against the door as he watched her stare around. She slowly made her way into one of the rooms, her fingers trailing over the wall as she did so. She gasped softly and pulled her hand back staring at it. Derek moved over to her and took her hand, examining it. He carefully removed the splinter from her finger, briefly glancing up to catch her gaze.

"Why are you nervous," he asked again.

"I thought you might have changed your mind," she whispered as she pulled her hand away.

"I told you I wouldn't, I couldn't even if I wanted to."

"What does that mean," Scarlet asked.

"DEREK," someone bellowed from outside. Scarlet jumped and took a step closer to him. "DEREK!"

"That's Scott," she whispered. "What is he doing here?"

"I'll deal with it, stay in here," Derek said before heading out the of the room. Scarlet stayed where she was, afraid that if she moved Scott would know she was there.

"Stay away from her, she doesn't know anything," Scott shouted. Scarlet worried that Scott was talking about her, but realized that he had to be talking about Allison, because she already knew.

"Yeah? What if she does," Derek asked. "You think your little buddy Stiles can just google werewolves and now you've got all the answers is that it? You don't get it yet Scott, but I'm looking out for you. Think about what could happen, you're out on the field the aggression takes over, and you shift in front of everyone, your mom, all your friends, and when they see you, everything falls apart."

Scarlet snuck a glance out the window and saw Scott still staring at the house, but Derek was nowhere to be seen. Scott let out a frustrated groan, then walked over to his bike and climbed on. He glanced back at the house once more, before pedaling away.

"He doesn't get it," Derek said as he came back into the room. Scarlet jumped and turned to look at him. Derek was staring at her with a strange look on his face. "Why are you so jumpy today? What is going on?"

Scarlet started to speak, but her phone ringing interrupted her. She pulled it out of her back pocket and sighed when she saw Stiles' name on the screen. She held up a hand to Derek and answered the phone. "What is it Stiles," Scarlet asked.

"I thought you were going home, why aren't you here?"

"I went for a run, the jeep is parked at the lake, what is the big deal?"

"Just wanted to know where my dear twin was with our jeep, half of which is mine."

"It's fine, no one is going to hurt the jeep, like they could if they tried."

"Have you talked to," Stiles started to ask but she cut him off.

"No, he's not talking to me, I'm not talking to him, leave it alone. We'll work it out on our own."

"You could tell me what the fight is about," Stiles suggested.

"Then you would be pissed too, it's not a big deal, don't worry about it."

"Whatever, Scott's calling, I'll talk to you later."

Scarlet hung up and put the phone back in her pocket. She leaned against the wall and stared at Derek for a long moment. "What did you mean before when you said you couldn't change your mind even if you wanted to?"

"Do we have to get into this right now," Derek asked.

"You want to know why I'm so jumpy? That is it! You tell me one day that you are a werewolf, the next day you kiss me and I have a triple spiral on my back, two days later you tell me we can't have sex or do anything sexual because you think we should take things slow, which isn't a decision you get to make by yourself by the way, then you disappear and I don't see you for four days. I'm more than a little confused and I'm trying really hard to deal with all this but I keep freaking out, like I'm doing right now," Scarlet said frantically. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Please, just tell me what that meant."

"It means that we are bonded for life, that even if I wanted to leave you, I couldn't, being away from you would be physically painful for me."

"Will it be the same for me?"

"No, it will make missing me worse, that's why four days felt like such a long time to you. I was trying to give you your space so you could deal with this."

"I need you to explain this to me, I need you to help me understand, I'm scared Derek, this bond... if that's what this is, its scary to me, I'm only 16 and suddenly I've found the man I'm supposed to be with for the rest of my life. I have to catch up to this, but you not being around isn't going to help me figure this out. I need you, we need to get to know one another. There is a connection here, but how much of that is just physical? I'm not saying I don't want this, I just... I need you to help me."

Derek took her hand and pulled her over to the tattered sofa. He sat down and then pulled her down next to him. Scarlet settled against him, her heading resting against his shoulder. Derek wrapped an arm around her shoulers as she curled into his body.

"Can you just be here like this," Scarlet whispered.

"Yeah, whatever you want," Derek replied. His fingers brushed through her hair as she closed her eyes.

She sat up suddenly and stared at him. "Explain why we can't do anything."

Derek stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Scarlet said in exasperation. "You said we have to take things slow. Why?"

"This is new for you, we should take our time."

"What if I don't want to?"

"That's the bond talking, it makes you more aware of... desires."

"For you too," Scarlet asked as she shifted on the sofa. Derek didn't stop her as she straddled him. She rested her hands on his shoulders and smirked slightly.

"Yeah," Derek said lowly.

"So if I do this," Scarlet said before brushing her lips against his neck. She let her hands slide down his chest to the hem of his shirt before slipping her fingers beneath it to skim over his abs.

"Scarlet," Derek warned. She sighed against his neck, but removed her hands from his skin Before Derek could stop her, she tugged her shirt off and dropped it on the floor.

"And now," she asked as Derek's eyes ran over her torso. His hands landed on her sides and he pulled her against him. His lips found hers and he kissed her hard. Scarlet rolled her hips in a small circle earning a groan from Derek. Scarlet parted her lips and let him deepen the kiss as he cupped one of her breasts. Scarlet moaned softly and rolled her hips again.

"No," Derek said as he pulled away from her. He pushed her off his lap onto the sofa and moved away from her. Scarlet stared at him in confusion. She quickly stood up and grabbed her shirt off the floor before striding toward the door.

"Scarlet wait," Derek called out.

"No, you made your point," Scarlet cried as she threw the door open. She slammed the door behind her and stumbled into the woods. Derek watched from the window as she paused to put her shirt back on, she wasn't watching where she was going and stumbled over a branch and hit the ground. Derek was beside her in an instant.

"Leave me alone," Scarlet mumbled as she jerked away from him and scrambled to her feet. "You made your point, I'm going home."

"Scarlet, stop acting like a child," Derek snapped.

"I'm 16 in case you forgot, I guess that makes me a child, a child who has been having sex for over six months, who knows what she wants."

"And what is that," Derek asked.

"You, you idiot! I want you, but you obviously don't feel the same way, so like I said I'll go home."

Derek grabbed Scarlet and pulled her back around pinning her against a tree. He pulled one of her legs around his waist and pushed his hips against her. His lips attacked her neck and Scarlet moaned loudly. "Do you feel that? Don't ever doubt that I don't want you, feel what you do to me?"

Scarlet breathlessly nodded her head. Derek kissed her hard and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her hands fisted in his hair. "I don't want you to think your only importance to me is sex, that's why I said no," Derek explained between kisses. "You're stubborn."

"I'm not the one saying no to sex," Scarlet pointed out before crashing her lips against his. It hadn't been like this with Jackson, it had been good, but this was electric. It felt like everything was amplified. Derek moved away from the tree and carried her inside, settling back on the sofa.

Scarlet grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and tried to pull it up but Derek wasn't cooperating with her. She grabbed her shirt instead, but Derek grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Jesus woman, stop trying to take your clothes off," he exclaimed.

"I thought we were going to," Scarlet started to say.

"And we will, but we aren't doing it today," Derek explained. He ran a hand down his face and sighed. "I meant what I said, I don't want this to be about sex, I've been in relationships like that before and it never works. Besides I have more experience than you, don't tell me I'm wrong, you've only been with one guy. I don't want you to feel like you have to have sex with me because you are afraid that I'll leave or you think you have to. When we are ready, really ready, we will talk about it."

"Fine," Scarlet replied with a sigh. Derek gave her a look and she nodded her head. "Fine you're right, I have only been with one guy and you do have more experience than me. I was a little afraid that maybe you didn't want me the way I want you, but I know now that's not true. So we can wait."

"Good," Derek said before kissing her. "I'll make it worth the wait, I promise."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Later that night Scarlet was home alone, Stiles had been gone all day with Scott and she had no idea what was going on with them. Scarlet grabbed her phone and called Derek. "Miss me already," he asked in greeting.

"Very funny, no I'm here by myself, I don't know where Stiles went, and my dad is at the station all night, with everything that's happened I don't want to be alone. It's going to sound really silly of me to ask but...," Scarlet babbled.

"I'll come over," Derek said before she could finish.

"You don't mind?"

"If your brother isn't there, I really don't mind."

"Hey, he's my twin, its a special bond," Scarlet shot back.

"Yeah, special," Derek replied. "I'll see you soon."

Scarlet hung up the phone and headed downstairs to wait for him. She wandered into the kitchen and tossed some popcorn in the microwave. She was still standing there when she heard a series of creaks in the floor upstairs. Scarlet froze and stared at the ceiling, but then she heard it again. She shakily reached over to the knife block and pulled out the biggest one.

Scarlet crept over to the stairs and peered up them. She slowly made her way up the stairs, listening as she went. There was nothing in her dad's room, nothing in Stiles' either, which only left her room. Scarlet took a deep breath and peered around the corner of her doorframe.

"Hello? Is anyone there? You should know that I have a knife and my hulking boyfriend with incredible rage issues will be here any second, so you should leave," Scarlet called as she stepped into the room.

The shadows shifted across the wall and her curtains flapped in the breeze. She didn't remember leaving her window open. Scarlet flipped on the light and glanced around the room. It must have been the wind, she quickly crossed the room and shut the window. When she turned, Scarlet saw someone standing in her doorway and screamed. She backed away until she bumped into the wall and held the knife up with two hands.

"Seriously? What are you doing," Derek asked as he stepped into the room. "Also I don't have incredible rage issues."

"You have got to stop doing that," Scarlet cried. "Have you never heard of ringing the doorbell? And I know you don't have rage issues, but someone who had broken in wouldn't know that."

"It was unlocked, I let myself in, you knew I was coming over. What's with the knife," Derek asked as he pried it out of her hands.

"I thought I heard someone walking around up here, so I brought a knife in case I had to defend myself until you got here," Scarlet explained. She rolled her eyes at the look Derek gave her.

"What made you think someone was here," Derek asked as he glanced around the room. It didn't smell like her, but he couldn't place the scent.

"I was in the kitchen and I could hear the floorboards creaking, which is usually a sign that someone is walking around up here. I think it was just the wind, my window was open, but I don't remember having it open though."

Derek immediately moved over to the window and examined it. He pushed it open and leaned outside. The scent was there too. He came back in and shut the window back, locking it. "You're right, it was probably the wind," he assured her. "So this is your room?"

"Oh, yeah, this is it," Scarlet said as she gestured around. "I would have cleaned up, but I didn't think we'd be up here with the sex ban and all."

Derek raised his eyebrows at her before glancing around. "You only ever have sex in a bed," he asked as he moved over to a wall that was covered with artwork.

"Yeah, well in a bedroom anyway," Scarlet said as she came up behind him.

"You painted all of these?"

"Most of them," Scarlet replied. She pointed to the four in the center. "My mom did these, I guess that's where I got it from. My dad gave them to me after she died."

"They're beautiful, all of them, I didn't realize you were that good," Derek admitted.

"Well, you've never seen my artwork, how could you know?"

Derek remained silent as he studied them. He finally turned back to her and steered her toward the door. "Come on, I think you burnt the popcorn."

"Oh shit," Scarlet exclaimed as she raced ahead of him to get downstairs. Derek smiled and followed after her. Scarlet pratically flew into the kitchen and threw open the microwave, the stench of burnt popcorn was overwhelming. "Man, and that was the last bag!"

"We don't have to have popcorn," Derek told her as he came into the room. He opened the window over the sink and flapped his arms around trying to direct the smoke toward the window.

"I didn't have dinner, and I have a feeling you haven't eaten either," Scarlet explained. She ran a hand through her hair and opened the fridge. "All we have is cereal and eggs."

"You are in luck, I love cereal," Derek said as he reached around her and pulled the milk out. Scarlet smiled sheepishly before opening the cabinet and raising up on her toes to try and get the box. Derek came up behind her and put a hand on her back as he pulled it down for her. She turned before Derek could move back and quickly kissed him.

"Thank you, for coming over and putting up with me being crazy," Scarlet said softly.

"Anytime, besides its better than sitting at my house, I don't even have power right now," Derek explained. "Bowls?"

Scarlet pulled down the bowls and let Derek fix their cereal. She hopped up onto the counter and picked up her bowl. "Oh, spoons," she said as she set the bowl back down and leaned over to open a drawer. She pulled out two spoons and passed one to Derek. "So, what do you want to do?"

"What do you normally do on Friday night," Derek asked.

Scarlet considered saying something flippant along the lines of shotgunning beers and tipping cows, but she decided against it. "Depends, during the summer I spent most of them with Jackson. Before that, Scott, Stiles, and I usually hung out and watched movies or something."

A strange look passed over his face at the mention of Jackson, but Scarlet chose to ignore it. If he had a problem he could say something about it, she wasn't going to make it an issue. "Movie it is," Derek said as he finished his cereal. He rinsed out his bowl and put it in the dishwasher. He waited for her to finish before doing the same with her bowl and spoon.

Scarlet took his hand and led him into the living room. They settled onto the sofa and she handed him the remote. "You pick," she said as she rested against him. Derek wrapped an arm around her shoulders and that was how they stayed until Scarlet fell asleep a few hours later.

Derek gently scooped her up and carried her upstairs. He tucked her into bed, pressing a kiss to her cheek, before leaving the room.

...

Stiles burst into her room the next morning, shocking her awake. "You have to come with us," he demanded as he raced around the room trying to find her some shoes.

Scarlet groaned as she sat up and stared at him in confusion. "What is going on?"

"Come on, we have to hurry or we will miss it! Scott is already outside!"

"Miss what," Scarlet demanded as she climbed out of bed. She stayed in the sweatpants and tanktop she had on last night, but grabbed a jacket and pulled on the shoes Stiles was holding out.

"We found the other half of that dead body, at Derek Hale's house," Stiles explained.

"What," Scarlet cried as she stared at him. "Are you saying Derek murdered her?"

"It certainly looks that way," Stiles said as he grabbed her arm and drug her down the stairs. They quickly climbed into the jeep and took off. It didn't take long for them to get to Derek's house. Scarlet immediately leapt out of the jeep and stared around frantically.

They had gotten there just in time to see Derek being led out of the house in handcuffs. "Oh god," Scarlet mumbled as she met Derek's gaze. He looked furious with her and she didn't understand why.

Scarlet and Scott both noticed that Stiles was creeping toward the police car Derek was sitting in. "What is he doing," Scarlet said as she took a step forward.

Scott grabbed her arm and tried to stop her. "Scarlet, he's dangerous, Derek could hurt you."

Scarlet jerked away from him and glanced around as she made a beeline toward the car, she noticed that her dad was approaching and paused. He pulled the door open and yanked Stiles out. Scarlet was praying that they would move far enough away from the car that she would have a chance to get in it, but no such luck. She stared at Derek through the window but he wouldn't look back at her.

Stiles grabbed her arm as he came by her and pulled her back over to the jeep. "What the hell did you two do," Scarlet demanded as soon as they got in the jeep.

"What are you so mad about," Stiles asked.

"Tell me what you did!"

"We found the other half of the body! Derek had it buried right next to the house, he obviously killed her!"

"Do you know who it was," Scarlet asked.

"What," Scott asked as he twisted around to look at her.

"The dead girl, do you know who it was?"

"No, why would we?"

Scarlet leaned back and shook her head, she would put money on it being Derek's sister. She ignored Scott and Stiles as they started searching the internet for something. It wasn't until Scott shouted that she looked at them.

"Stop saying werewolves, stop enjoying this so much!"

"Are you ok," Stiles asked.

"NO, no I'm not, I'm so far from being ok," Scott cried.

Scarlet leaned into the front seat and noticed the pained look on his face. "Scott, what's wrong?"

"Look you're going to have to accept this Scott, sooner or later," Stiles replied.

"I can't."

"Well you're gonna have to," Stiles cried.

"No, I can't breathe," Scott exclaimed. He slammed his hand against the roof of the jeep. Scarlet leaned further into the front and grabbed his bag searching for his inhaler.

"It's not in here Scott, where is your inhaler?"

"Pull over," Scott ordered.

"Why? What's happening?"

Scott opened Stiles' notebook and Scarlet saw the rope and tiny purple flowers that were inside. "You kept it," Scott demanded.

"What was I supposed to do with it," Stiles asked.

"What is it," Scarlet interrupted.

"Stop the car," Scott roared his eyes flashing gold. Scarlet jerked away from him and Stiles scrambled out of the jeep throwing the backpack as far away as he could.

Scarlet glanced at Scott but the door to the jeep was standing open and he was gone. "Stiles," she called.

"Ok, we're good you can," Stiles trailed off as he noticed.

"Get in the jeep," Scarlet cried as she climbed into the front seat.

"We have to find him," Stiles replied.

"Stiles, he is dangerous right now, he has no control whatsoever. He could hurt us and not realize it! We have to go!"

Stiles got back in the jeep and continued to drive, he called dispatch after a few minutes but that got them nowhere. "You better hope she doesn't tell dad about that," Scarlet muttered.

"Why are you acting like this? What is your problem?"

"Derek is trying to help Scott and what do you two do? Get him arrested! He's not the one that bit Scott, and that girl you found was most likely his sister, who was recently murdered. That's why Derek is here, to find her! You two have probably ruined any chance he has of finding out what happened to her."

"Why are you defending him?"

"I just am ok," Scarlet snapped. They drove over to Scott's house, but there was no sign of him. "Can we go home please?"

"Fine," Stiles snapped.

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Why are you," Stiles shot back.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"You should tell me why you are so mad."

"Its between Scott and I," Scarlet cried. "Look, telling you is only going to make you mad!"

They had pulled up to the house and Scarlet leapt out of the jeep. She stormed toward the front door and threw it open.

"Just tell me, we tell each other everything," Stiles cried as he followed after her.

"No, Stiles."

"Yes, Scarlet."

"I said no Stiles, it doesn't matter. What it was, is over now and it's not going to happen again, it doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," Stiles replied. Scarlet turned around on the stairs and looked at him. The look on his face was killing her. She didn't keep things from him, they didn't have secrets from one another.

"You can't say anything until I'm done talking," Scarlet warned him. She sat down on the stairs and waited until he had joined her. Then she told him, about her relationship with Scott, and with Jackson, and about what was going on with Derek.

"You have to be kidding me," Stiles whispered. "You are Derek's... what his mate?"

"I don't know, I guess."

"Well that explains why you were so upset this morning."

"Stiles he's not as bad as you think, he's really not. That first night in the woods, he was the one that found me and helped me find my way out, he was here last night, he's been... he's really great Stiles. I wish that you and Scott could see that."

"I highly doubt that," Stiles replied.

"You don't believe that he didn't kill that girl do you?"

"No, I don't. I also think he bit Scott."

"Stiles," Scarlet groaned. She ran her hands through her hair and stared into the kitchen. The cereal that she and Derek had been eating was still sitting on the counter. "Oh god, he was here last night, he must think that I knew what you and Scott were doing! He thinks I had something to do with it!"

"Wait, what?"

"This morning, when they were putting Derek in the police car and he looked at me and he was so angry, Stiles. He thinks that I helped you guys by inviting him over here! God, this is awful," Scarlet exclaimed. "I have to go talk to him."

Scarlet started toward the door, grabbing the keys as she went. Stiles leapt up and raced after her. "You can't, dad is at the station, how are you going to explain that to him?"

"I have to talk to him," Scarlet replied.

"Fine, go during the game tonight, dad will be there, most of the town will be there, it will be easy to get in. Just tell them you need to get something out of dad's office and sneak into the back."

"That's actually a really good idea."

"You don't like lacrosse anyway."

"That's very true, no offense."


	11. Chapter 11

**Note: I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed the story! You guys have been awesome, so thank you so much! There is another note at the bottom, you don't have to read it, I'm just looking for some specific feedback.**

Chapter 11

"So if Dad asks," Scarlet prompted. She was driving Stiles to the school for the game. From there she was going over to the police station to see Derek.

"You are at home with a headache."

"Good luck tonight, will you text me if you get to play? I'll come watch if I can."

"Yeah, don't count on me playing, but I will if I do."

"I'll see you later," Scarlet called as he climbed out of the jeep.

"Hey Scar," Stiles called as he turned back to the jeep. "Be careful."

Scarlet nodded before driving away. It didn't take long for her to get to the police station from the school. She parked around the side and went in through that door. She slowly made her way through the hallways careful to avoid any of the officers. She glanced both ways before going through the back entrance to the holding cells.

It didn't take long to find Derek. He was sitting on the bed in the cell, staring at the ceiling. Scarlet stood there silently as she waited for him to acknowledge her.

"You shouldn't be here," he finally said.

"I have to talk to you, it's not what you think," Scarlet said quickly.

"You don't know what I think."

"I know what last night looks like and it wasn't that."

"What did it look like Scarlet," Derek asked as he looked at her. Scarlet flinched under his gaze, no one had ever looked at her with so much anger before.

"It looked like I called to ask you to come over so that Scott and Stiles could dig up the other half of the body. That's not what happened though."

"That's exactly what happened," Derek snapped.

"No it's not! Derek, I didn't know! I had no idea that was what they were doing last night! If I had, I would have told you, I wouldn't have called you to come over, I would have tried to stop them. I wouldn't do this to you!"

"Just go Scarlet."

"No, please Derek, you have to believe me!"

"I don't," Derek shouted as he rose from the bed. Scarlet would have moved back but he was at the bars to fast and he grabbed ahold of her coat pulling her closer. "Now leave."

"You said on Saturday that you could tell when I was lying, do it now," Scarlet shot back. "Do it, ask me if I knew that's what they were doing. Ask me if that was why I invited you over. Ask me damn it!"

"Did you know that Scott and Stiles were going to dip up that grave," Derek demanded.

Scarlet held his gaze. "No, I didn't."

Derek let go of her coat and stepped back. "You're telling the truth."

"I am," Scarlet assured him. "I'm sorry that this happened. What can I do?"

"Nothing, they'll let me out soon."

"How do you know that?"

"Well whatever killed her, it wasn't human and as far as they are concerned, I am."

"She was your sister, wasn't she?"

"Laura," Derek said.

"I'm so sorry Derek," Scarlet said as she reached through the bars and put a hand on his arm. An opening door, sent her scrambling away from him to hide.

"Well Mr. Hale, you are free to go, you'll have to sign some papers up front. Sorry for the inconvience."

"Whatever," Derek said as he walked out of the cell.

"I'm parked around the side, I'll wait there," Scarlet whispered knowing he would hear her. She darted back out of the station and to the jeep as quickly as possible. She cranked the car when she saw Derek walk around the corner headed toward her.

"I need to go to the school, have to see how Scott's doing," Derek said.

"Hello to you too," Scarlet muttered as she pulled out of her parking spot and headed toward the school. They were silent the entire drive. Once they arrived in the parking lot, Scarlet parked the car and glanced at Derek. "You want me to wait for you?"

Derek glanced at her briefly. "No, you should go home, I'll see you later."

"Derek, are we going to talk about this?"

"About what Scarlet," Derek asked as he looked at her again.

"About the fact that my brother and his idiot friend got you arrested? About what is actually going on here?"

"We'll talk about it later, right now I have to go make sure that Scott doesn't do something stupid."

"The game is over Derek," Scarlet said as she pointed toward the crowds of people headed their way.

"I'll see you later," he repeated before climbing out of the car and disappearing into the crowd. Scarlet heaved a sigh and shook her head. She didn't get why he was acting like this. She texted Stiles to let him know that Derek was out of jail and that she was waiting for him in the parking lot. A knock on her window caused her to jump though.

"Hey Jackson," she said as she rolled the window down. "How's the shoulder?"

"Fine, what's up with McCall?"

"I don't know Jackson, he's been acting weird for awhile now, you know that if I knew I would tell you."

"He just keeps getting weirder, the other team passed him the ball tonight, out of fear! It doesn't make any sense. I think he's on drugs."

"Scott's not the type to take drugs, but if I hear anything I'll let you know. I don't want him to get himself hurt," Scarlet said as reassuringly as she could. In reality, she knew what was going with him but she wasn't about to tell Jackson that.

"Yeah, I'll see you later Scar," Jackson said before heading over to his own car.

**So, what are your thoughts on Scarlet becoming a werewolf? I can't decide if I want to do that or not. Also I'm thinking of either writing an Isaac centered story, cause I feel like there aren't enough and I love him, or adding a girl to this story in season 2 or season 3 for him. Do you guys have a preference? If I do a separate story for Isaac, Scarlet would not be in it. Review or send me a message and let me know what you guys think.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Things were tense between the twins after Scarlet told Stiles about the situation with Derek. Of course, after what had happened at the jail and the lacrosse game Scarlet had her doubts about the relationship, if that was what you could call it. She hadn't seen or heard from him since he'd gotten out of the jeep. Scarlet joined Stiles and Scott as they moved frantically through the hallways of school. Apparently Scott had a dream about Allison and it felt too real. He was concerned that he had actually hurt her.

Scarlet begged off and headed to class without a word to either of them. Scott was still ignoring her because of the Jackson thing. Scarlet threw her stuff down on one of the lab tables and slumped into a seat. She jumped when someone sat down next to her. She glanced over to find Jackson staring at her.

"You ok Scar?"

"Fine Jackson, how's the shoulder holding up," Scarlet asked as others began to file into the classroom. She didn't miss the look that Scott shot her as he walked past them.

"It's fine, a little sore, but that's lacrosse," Jackson replied. "You hear about that bus thing?"

"No, what happened?"

Jackson explained that something had gotten into one of the buses and ripped it up. There was apparently blood all over the place too. Scarlet glanced back at Scott in shock. He had hurt someone. Scott and Stiles were currently caught up in their own conversation though. The teacher quickly separated them, making a snide comment as he did so.

Scott grabbed his backpack and moved to the seat directly in front of Jackson. The way Jackson was staring at Scott did not go unnoticed by Scarlet.

"Hey, I think they found something," a the girl sitting next to Scott cried. Everyone leapt off their stools and headed toward the windows.

They all stared down at the parking lot, where some EMT's were pushing a gurney toward a waiting ambulance. The man on the gurney suddenly shot up and screamed, causing everyone to jump. Scarlet collided with Jackson as she moved back and he put his hands on her waist to steady her. Scott backed away from the window and Stiles followed him, reassuring him.

"This is good, this is good, he got up, dead guys can't do that," Scarlet heard Stiles say.

"Stiles," Scott whispered. "I did that."

...

At lunch, Scarlet silently followed Lydia over to the table where Scott and Stiles were sitting. "Why do you want to sit with them," Scarlet asked.

"Because you sit there, Allison sits there, it will soon be the cool table," Lydia explained. "Once I'm sitting there I mean."

"Right," Scarlet said as she dropped her tray onto the table.

"We'll figure it out," Stiles told Scott.

"Figure what out," Lydia asked as she set down her tray and took a seat.

Stiles stared at her in shock. "Uh, uh, just homework," Scott explained as another lacrosse player sat down.

"Why is she sitting with us," Stiles asked. Allison, Danny, and Jackson all sat down before Scarlet had a chance to speak.

"Apparently this is the cool table now, aren't we lucky," she mumbled to Stiles.

"So I hear it was some kind of animal attack, maybe a cougar," Danny said.

"I heard mountain lion," Jackson replied.

"A cougar is a mountain lion," Lydia said quickly. At the look Jackson gave her she added. "Isn't it?"

"Who cares," Jackson asked. "The guy is probably some homeless tweaker who's going to die anyway."

"Actually I just found out who it is," Stiles said as he held out his phone. "Check it out."

The video explained that the victim was Garrison Myers and he was in critical condition.

"I know this guy," Scott exclaimed.

"You do," Allison and Scarlet asked at the same time.

"Yeah, when I used to take the bus, back when I lived with my dad. He was the driver," Scott explained. Scott and Stiles exchanged a look and Scarlet kicked Stiles under the table to get him to chill out.

"Can we talk about something slightly more fun please? Like... oh, where are we going tomorrow night," Lydia asked quickly. Allison paused mid-bite to meet her gaze. "You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night, right?"

"Um, we were thinking of what we were going to do," Allison explained as she motioned to Scott.

"Well I am not sitting at home again watching lacrosse videos, so if the four of us are hanging out we're doing something fun," Lydia said firmly. Scarlet could tell from the looks on their faces that was the last thing Jackson and Scott wanted to do.

"Hanging out? Like the four us? Do you want to hang out, like us and them," Scott asked Allison.

"Yeah, I guess, sounds fun," Allison said nervously.

"You know what else sounds fun? Stabbing myself in the face with this fork," Jackson said holding up a plastic fork. Scarlet snorted at his comment, earning her a look from Scott.

"How about bowling," Lydia said as she took the fork from Jackson. "You love to bowl!"

"Yeah with actual competition," Jackson replied. "Scarlet is a great bowler."

Scott shot another look at her. "What? I am a great bowler," Scarlet snapped.

"How do you know we're not actual competition," Allison asked trying to defuse the situation. "You can bowl right?"

"Sort of," Scott said hesitantly.

"Is it sort of? Or yes," Jackson asked as he leaned forward.

"Bowling the new show of manliness," Scarlet muttered.

"Yes, in fact, I'm a great bowler," Scott snapped. "Better than Scarlet."

...

After school, Scarlet headed to her piano lesson before going home. She hadn't been there long when she left the house again and headed into the woods. It took her longer than she expected but she finally found her way to Derek's house. She wandered up to the front door and knocked, but no one answered. Scarlet heaved a sigh before pushing the door open and stepping inside. She shut the door, gasping when she turned back around to find Derek inches from her.

"Jesus," she cried as she stepped back. "I told you about doing that to me!"

"Do you always come in places uninvited or am I just special like that," Derek asked.

"I wanted to see how my mate was doing, but seeing as how he is still alive and acting like a jerk, I'll just go," Scarlet snapped as she turned back to the door. Derek's hand shot out and he pushed the door shut.

"A car is coming up the drive," he said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her upstairs with him. They lurked next to the window as the cop car pulled up. Scarlet felt Derek tense next to her and squeezed his hand reassuringly. He pulled his hand away from her, and moved a little closer to the window.

Scarlet watched as Derek's eyes shifted to blue and the dog in the police car began to bark wildly. It obviously spooked the policeman because he rushed back to the car and drove away. Scarlet stared at Derek for a moment before noticing that Scott was standing in the yard now.

"Jesus, is he following me now," Scarlet whined as she moved out of the room and toward the stairs. Derek moved around her and headed down the stairs.

"Stay in here," he ordered as he opened the front door and stepped out to talk to Scott.

"You aren't the boss of me," Scarlet shouted, knowing that Scott could hear her, but not caring. She listened through the door to their conversation, when Derek said probably to Scott's question about killing someone, she opened the door and stared at them both.

"Look, I can show you how to remember, I can show you how to control the shift, even on a full moon, but it's not going to come for free," Derek explained.

"What do you want," Scott asked tiredly.

"You'll find out, but for now I'm going to give you what you want. Go back to the bus, go inside, see it, feel it. Let your senses, your sight, smell, touch, let them remember for you."

"That's it, just go back?"

"Do you want to know what happened," Derek asked.

"I just want to know if I hurt him," Scott replied.

"No you don't, you want to know if you'll hurt her."

Scott finally looked at Scarlet. "So you're with him now," he asked.

"You could say that," Scarlet allowed as she ignored Derek's gaze. "You going to give me the silent treatment for it?"

"I don't get you, I really don't," Scott replied.

"It's not like I had a whole lot of choice in this Scott! I'm his mate, I've got the mark between my shoulders to prove it. Apparently that doesn't mean a whole lot to him though," she said jerking her thumb toward Derek. "Tell him my involvement with him getting thrown in jail."

Scott glanced between them before speaking. "Derek, she didn't know. We knew she wouldn't want to help us, so it was just Stiles and I. We didn't tell her about it until we were on our way here that morning."

Derek glanced silently at Scarlet before returning his attention to Scott. "Let me know how it goes at the bus," he said before taking Scarlet's hand and pulling her back inside. Derek waited until Scott was out of earshot to speak. "I'm a jerk."

"I am aware of this," Scarlet said as she flopped down on the sofa. "A monumental jerk."

"I just assumed since it was your twin and best friend that you were involved."

"If I got you thrown in jail, why would I come to see you? Also if you go to jail, I can't makeout with you anymore, and I really like that."

"You do huh," Derek asked as he joined her on the sofa, he went in for a kiss, but Scarlet turned her head away.

"You are going to have to do better than that," she murmured. Derek tugged her into his lap, his fingers running through her hair. Scarlet shifted over him, teasing him. "I didn't get an apology yet."

"I'm sorry," Derek said before kissing his way up her neck. His hands skimmed up her sides pulling her shirt up slightly. His lips caught hers in a heated kiss. "I'm sorry."

"Still not forgiven," Scarlet whispered against his lips. Derek shifted quickly so that she was lying beneath him on the sofa. He kissed her hard, only pulling away to let her catch her breath.

"Now," Derek asked.

"Getting there," Scarlet before as she went in for another kiss. Her phone began to ring in her back pocket, but she ignored it as she pulled Derek closer. The ringing stopped after a moment, but then it started right back up.

"Just see who it is," Derek said as he pulled away to let her sit up.

"I don't want to," Scarlet whined as she pulled her phone out. She glanced down at the screen and immediately answered it. "Hi dad."

Derek's eyes widened but he remained silent. "I'm with a friend," Scarlet said as she moved away from Derek. "Yes, I know there is a curfew. It's not that late now."

Scarlet ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Yes I know it makes it difficult to enforce the curfew if your own children aren't obeying it, I'll be home soon."

She hung up the phone and glanced at Derek. "I have to go," she said with a shrug.

"I'll drive you back," he offered.

"Last thing we both need is you dropping me off at the Sheriff's house. Technically you are still a suspect."

Derek let out an annoyed sound and Scarlet immediately moved to him wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up, but we have to be careful. I don't want you in jail anymore than you want to be there."

"No, you're right, we do have to be careful. Not just with your dad, if the hunters know I'm here and they find out about you, they could try and use you against me. I have to keep you safe," Derek said as he looked down at her.

"All right, we keep a low profile, but I'm not doing anything tomorrow night and my dad is going to be at work all night. Can we do something then? Something normal? Like... a date," Scarlet nervously suggested.

"A date it is then," Derek said before kissing her gently. "What time?"

"7:30?"

"I'll be there, just get rid of your brother please?"

"I'll try but I make no promises," Scarlet warned as she pulled away from him and headed toward the door. "Now will you please point me in the direction of my house, otherwise I will be wandering around the woods all night."

"I'll walk you back, it will be safer that way," Derek said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the twilight.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next night, Scarlet wasn't able to convince Stiles to leave the house. By the time Derek got there, she was sitting outside on the stoop. "What are you doing," he asked as he climbed out of his car.

"My brother refuses to leave the house, apparently Scott is hanging out with Allison tonight, so he's here, all night."

Derek just barely managed to hide his annoyance. "Why don't we go get something to eat? We can take it to the lake."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, come on, get it in. It's the best we can right now as far as dates go," Derek said as he walked around the side of his car to open the passengar door for her. "I have to stop and get gas though."

"That's cool," Scarlet called as she leaned across to open his door for him.

"You look really pretty by the way," Derek said as he climbed in the car.

"Thank you," Scarlet replied as a smile spread across her face. "What do you want to get to eat?"

"I don't care, what do you want?"

"No, don't do that! I hate that," Scarlet said as he pulled out the driveway. "What do you want to do? I don't know what do you want to do? It's terrible. You have to have an opinion on what you want to eat!"

"No italian, I hate Italian," Derek said firmly.

"Was that so hard? How about Chinese," Scarlet suggested.

"Chinese it is," Derek said before pulling into a gas station. He climbed out to pump the gas while Scarlet remained inside. An SUV pulled up in front of them, blocking Derek's car in. Another one pulled in behind them as well. Derek hit the button on his key ring to lock the car doors. Scarlet leaned back in her seat in the hopes that she would be less noticable.

"Nice ride," one of the men said as he came toward Derek. "Black cars though, very hard to keep clean. I would definietly suggest a little more maintenance. You have something this nice you want to take care of it right?"

He grabbed the squigee and began to clean the windshield. He did it on the passanger side and Scarlet had no doubt that he could see her in there. She stared nervously out at the man, biting down on her lip.

"Personally, I'm very protective of the things I love. That's something I learned for my family, you don't have much of that these days. Do you," the man asked. He stared at Derek for a long moment before looking in at Scarlet.

"There you go, you can actually look through your windshield now. See how that makes everything so much clearer," he said before motioning to Scarlet. "She's a beautiful girl. You should be careful with her. It would be terrible if something happened to her."

The man began to walk away and Scarlet let out a sigh of relief. "You forgot to check the oil," Derek called.

The man froze in his steps and turned to look back at Derek. "Check the man's oil," he ordered.

Scarlet glanced at Derek in confusion as another man approached the car. She yelped in shock when he busted in the driver's side window. Glass landed all over her lap and she met the gaze of the man that had broken the window.

"Looks good to me," he said with a smirk. He leered at Scarlet before walking back to the other SUV. "Have a nice night, sweetie."

"Drive safely," the man said before climbing in his car. Neither of them moved until both SUVs were out of the parking lot.

Derek immediately yanked the door open and leaned in. "Are you ok," he asked as he began to pick up the glass.

"Yeah," Scarlet said as she reached down to brush herself off. She gasped when a large piece of glass sliced her palm. Her hands began to shake as the gravity of the situation set in, she drew in a ragged breath and glanced at Derek. "They were hunters, weren't they?"

"Yeah," Derek said as he continued to remove the glass. He pulled a napkin out of the glovebox and pressed it against her hand.

"They know who I am now," Scarlet mumbled.

Derek looked up at her, realizing what she was getting at. The tone of her voice scared him, he could see how hard she was fighting to reign in her emotions. Her fear and anxiety were rolling off of her in waves. "No, Scarlet, they don't think that you are a werewolf, they won't hurt you, they are after me, they think I'm doing all of this," Derek said quickly.

"You said yesterday that if they knew about me they would try and use me against you! That sounds like it would involve me getting hurt," Scarlet exclaimed. She pushed Derek back and attempted to climb out of the car, but cut her other hand in the process. "Damn it!"

"Will you stop please? Just stop moving and let me get the glass," Derek said as he put his hands on her shoulders to keep her still. He could feel her shaking under his hands and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Scarlet leaned back and let Derek finish. He climbed into the car and started it, pulling out of the gas station. He drove past the restuarant, past her house, and the lake. "Where are we going," she asked.

"My house, we need to talk," Derek said tensely.

"Derek, I just want to go home, please?"

"We need to talk about this."

"Derek, I'm bleeding! We can talk about this later," Scarlet snapped. She bit her lip again and shook her head at him. "Just take me home, please."

They were already pulling up to his house though, Derek climbed out and went inside without saying anything to her. Scarlet heaved a sigh and climbed out, following him inside. She headed into the living room and sat down on the sofa. "I'm going to get some bandages," Derek told her. "I'll be right back."

"Stop, just stop please," Scarlet pleaded as she buried her face in her hands. Derek knelt in front of her and pulled her hands away. He wiped the blood she had gotten on her face off and smiled sadly at her. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing, doing something might provoke them. So for right now, until they make a move us against us, we aren't going to give them a reason to," Derek explained. "I'm not going to let them hurt you."

"But what am I supposed to do if," Scarlet started to say.

"Don't, don't make yourself more scared with what ifs. It is just going to make you upset. Let me take care of it ok," Derek replied. Scarlet nodded silently and let out a soft sigh. Derek kissed her on the forehead before standing up. "I'm going to get some bandages."

Derek closed the doors to the living room as he left. Scarlet leaned back against the sofa and sighed. This was not what she had signed up for. She hadn't really signed up for it though. Scarlet heard the front door slam open and she jumped.

"Derek, I know you're here," Scott screamed. "I know what you did!"

"I didn't do anything," Derek called back. His voice reverberated through the house. Scarlet remained frozen in the living room. Scott had to know that she was there, but he was probably beyond caring at this point.

"You killed him," Scott snapped.

"He died."

"Your sister died?"

"My sister was missing, I came here looking for her."

"You found her."

"I found her in pieces," Derek shouted. "Being used as bait to catch me!"

"I think you killed them both, and I'm going to tell everyone! Starting with the Sheriff and Scarlet."

A series of thuds sounded as someone fell down the stairs. There was a growl, a crash, and then another crash as Derek came flying through the wall into the living room. Scarlet started toward him, but he held up a hand to stop her. He brushed himself off as he stood up and removed his jacket.

"That was cute," he said as he dropped his jacket on the floor. His eyes flashed blue and he shifted in front of Scarlet for the first time. She took a step back out of instinct as he let out a growl and began to move toward Scott. He grabbed Scott and slammed him into the wall a few times before tossing him across the table in the center of the room.

Scarlet moved further back, pressing herself against the wall as Derek leapt at Scott, who rolled out of the way. They both landed a few punches before Derek knocked Scott down again. As Scott rose to his feet, he noticed Scarlet standing in the corner. He moved toward the table, keeping his eyes on her. Derek noticed and rushed toward Scott leaping across the tabletop and kicking Scott in the chest.

Scarlet closed her eyes and turned away from them. She leaned into the corner trying to block out the sounds of the fight.

"I didn't kill him, neither of us did," Derek said after a few moments. Scarlet turned back around and immediately moved toward Scott who was holding his ribs. "It's not your fault and it's not mine."

"This, this is all your fault, you ruined my life," Scott shouted as he got in Derek's face. Scarlet got between them and pushed Scott back a few steps.

"No, I didn't," Derek said as he gently pulled Scarlet back from Scott, afraid he would shift and hurt her.

"You're the one that bit me," Scott snapped.

"No I'm not!"

"What," Scott demanded. Derek pulled Scarlet completely behind him at this point.

"I'm not the one that bit you," Derek said again. Scott touched his chest and he jerked slightly.

"Scott," Scarlet said as she watched him. "Scott, are you ok? Is he ok?"

Scott gasped before sitting down on the sofa. He stared up at them both in shock. Scarlet stepped around Derek and sat down next to Scott. She began to use his shirt to wipe the blood off his chest.

"There's another," Scott said.

"It's called an alpha, its the most dangerous of our kind," Derek explained. "You and I, we're betas. This thing is more powerful, more animal, than either of us. My sister came here looking for him, now I'm trying to find him, but I don't think I can do it without you."

Scarlet felt Scott tense next to her and shifted away from him. "Why me," he asked.

"Because he's the one that bit you, you're part of his pack. It's you Scott, you're the one he wants," Derek said.

A howl sounded from outside and Scarlet flinched toward Scott. She glanced up at Derek, who had cocked his head to the side to listen. "We're safe here," Derek said as he met her gaze.

"I still don't understand, why me," Scott asked.

"I'm not the alpha, I don't know! You were both there that night, he could have just as easily choosen Scarlet instead," Derek said. Scott and Scarlet exchanged a glance, both wondering what that would have been like for them. "Believe me, I've wondered the same thing."

"What do we do now? How do we find him? And what are you doing here right now," Scott asked Scarlet. "You know there is a curfew right?"

"Oh shit, curfew," Scarlet said as she tugged her phone out of her pocket. Scott noticed the cuts on her hands as she did so, and grabbed one of her hands.

"What the hell happened," he asked.

"We had a run in with some hunters, your girlfriend's father was there," Derek explained.

"Wait, that was Alison's dad? She's a hunter," Scarlet cried, her phone forgotten.

"No," Scott said at the same time Derek said, "Yes."

"It's a family business Scott," Derek pointed out. "You should both get home though, before you get into trouble."


	14. Chapter 14

**Just wanted to update you guys and let you know that I am working on an Isaac/OC story. It's called You Found Me and will start with the second season. Its not related to this story in anyway. I thought it would be confusing to have more than one OC to write for. I wanted to do something different for Isaac anyway so please check it out and let me know what you think! I will be updating both stories as regularly as I can! So here's a reward for being such awesome readers! An extra long chapter and an update on a new story!**

Chapter 14

A few days later Scarlet was leaving class early when she came around a corner in time to see Derek slam Jackson against his locker. Derek immediately let him go and rushed away, not noticing Scarlet. She rushed over to Jackson.

"Are you ok," she asked as Jackson stared after Derek. He pulled his hand away from his neck to reveal blood. "Oh my god!"

"Who was that? He was looking for McCall, is that his drug dealer," Jackson cried. "I'm going to the nurse. I'll see you later."

Scarlet waited until Jackson was gone to rush after Derek. She got to him just as the bell was ringing. He flinched at the sound, doubling over in pain. "What the hell are you doing here," she demanded. She noticed how pale he was after a moment.

"I need to find Scott, something is wrong," Derek explained through gritted teeth.

"He should be in the parking lot, school just got out," Scarlet said as she grabbed his hand. "Come on, we'll find him."

They slowly made their way to the parking lot, not only was he incredibly pale, but he seemed to be really weak too. As Scarlet scanned the parking lot for Scott, Derek let go of her hand and moved away from her. Tires screeching caused her to look over in his direction. He had walked in front of the jeep, before collapsing to the ground.

"Oh shit," Scarlet said before rushing over to him. "Derek, Derek, are you ok? What is going on?"

Scott and Stiles came over as Scarlet helped Derek sit up. "What are you doing here," Scott demanded.

"I was shot," Derek explained.

"He's not looking so good dude," Stiles said.

"No shit sherlock! He was shot," Scarlet snapped. "Who shot you?"

"Why aren't you healing," Scott asked.

"I don't know Scar. I can't heal, it was a different kind of bullet."

"A silver bullet," Stiles asked.

"No you idiot," Derek replied.

"Wait, wait, that's what she meant when she said you had 48 hours," Scott said suddenly.

"What? Who said 48 hours?"

"The woman who shot you," Scott explained. Derek flinched and his eyes flashed bright blue.

"What are you doing," Scott demanded as horns began to honk. "Stop that!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, I can't," Derek ground out as his eyes continued to shift.

"Derek, get up," Scott said firmly. He finally helped Derek up and headed toward the jeep. "I'm putting him in your car."

"I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used," Derek said as Scarlet climbed in through the driver's side.

"How am I supposed to do that," Scott asked.

"She's an Argent, she's with them," Derek replied.

"Why should I help you," Scott demanded.

"Because you need me," Derek said seriously.

"How about because I will kill you if you don't," Scarlet snapped as she stared at him.

"Fine, I'll try," Scott said as Stiles got in the jeep. "Get him out of here!"

"I hate you for this, so much," Stiles said before pulling out of the parking lot. Scarlet leaned between the seats to get a look at Derek. "What are we supposed to do with an injured werewolf?"

"Take care of him," Scarlet said as he drove.

"He's not a puppy Scarlet!"

"Trust me, I am completely aware of that fact, you idiot," Scarlet snapped.

"God, you are even starting to sound like him," Stiles muttered.

"That's my girl," Derek replied through his pain. Scarlet couldn't help but smile at him.

"Seriously, what do you need us to do," she asked. She yanked a water bottle out of her bag and unscrewed the cap. She carefully manuvered herself between the seats so she was facing Derek. She held the bottle up to his lips so he could have some water. Stiles hit a bump and ended up throwing Scarlet into Derek's chest.

Derek let out a groan of pain and Scarlet immediately shifted away from him. "Stiles, be careful," she cried as she gave Derek some more water. Stiles stared at her for a moment before texting Scott. Scarlet pressed her hand to Derek's forehead. "You are burning up. Let's get your jacket off."

Derek did his best to help her remove it. Stiles' phone dinged to indicate Scott had texted him back. "Hey be careful, try not to bleed out all over my seats, we are almost there," Stiles said.

"Where's there," Derek asked.

"Your house," Stiles said as though it were obvious.

"What? No, you can't take me there," Derek replied.

"I can't take you to your own house," Stiles asked.

"Not while I can't protect myself."

Stiles immediately pulled over to the side of the road and turned to look at Derek. "What happens if Scott can't find your little magic bullet? Hm? Are you dying?"

"I have a last resort," Derek said as he glanced away.

"What do you mean you have a last resort," Stiles demanded.

Derek pulled up his shirt sleeve to reveal the bullet wound. Scarlet gasped in shock and Stiles flinched. "Oh my god what is that," Stiles cried. "Oh is that contagious? You know you should probably just get out."

"Stiles," Scarlet cried as she gently touched Derek's arm.

"Start the car, now," Derek ordered.

"Yeah, I don't think that you should be barking orders with the way you look. In fact, I think that if I wanted to I could probably drag your little werewolf ass out into the middle of the road and leave you for dead," Stiles snapped.

"Or you could not," Scarlet shouted back at him.

"Start the car, or I'm going to rip your throat out," Derek threatened. "With my teeth."

Scarlet stared at Derek in silent shock, but Stiles started the car. "That was not cool," Scarlet informed him.

"He started the car didn't he," Derek asked as he met her gaze.

"You rip my twin's throat out with your teeth, and we are done. Understand? I don't care if you have been shot, you can't hurt him," Scarlet said firmly.

"Sorry," Derek said quickly.

"Tell him that," Scarlet said as she pointed to Stiles.

"Stiles, I'm sorry," Derek immediately said.

"She's got you whipped," Stiles replied.

"Shut up," Derek and Scarlet snapped together.

Stiles drove around for an hour, texting Scott, but he wasn't responding. Stiles finally pulled over and they sat on the side of the road. Scarlet kept giving Derek water and managed to get him to take some of the tylenol she had found in her bag. She was doing her best to be brave and strong, she knew if she started freaking out like she wanted to it would upset Derek and Stiles. She was sandwiched between them in the front seat staring out the windshield silently. Derek's thumb was brushing against the back of her hand, trying to keep her calm.

"You ok," Derek asked.

Scarlet shook her head and avoided his gaze. Stiles squeezed her arm in an attempt to reassure her. He didn't like Derek, but he didn't want him to die.

"Come here," Derek said as he tugged her into his lap. Scarlet settled against his side, her head resting against his shoulder. He wrapped his uninjured arm around her as she leaned into him. "It's going to be ok."

Scarlet nodded silently as she avoided both his and Stiles' gaze. Things just kept getting worse for them, was it supposed to be this hard?

It was dark by the time Stiles' phone rang. "Oh thank god," he said when he saw it was Scott. "Did you find it yet?"

Stiles listened to Scott's response but cut him off. "What am I supposed to do with him?"

"Take him somewhere, anywhere," Scott said.

"And by the way he's starting to smell."

"Like what?"

"Like death," Stiles hissed.

"Ok, take him to the animal clinic," Scott finally said.

"What about your boss?"

"He's gone by now, there's a spare key in the box behind the dumpster."

"You're not going to believe where he's telling me to take you," Stiles said as he handed Derek the phone.

"Did you find it," Derek asked tiredly. He listened to Scott's response but didn't seem to care what he was saying. "Look if you don't find it, then I'm dead all right?"

Scott obviously made a flip comment because Derek immediately set him straight. "Think about this, the alpha calls you out against your will, he's going to do it again, next time, you either kill with him or you get killed. So if you want to stay alive then you need me, find the bullet."

With that he hung up the phone and passed it back to Stiles. Scarlet pursed her lips as she glanced at him. Derek met her gaze and nodded solemnly. It didn't take long for them to get to the animal clinic. Derek leaned against Scarlet as Stiles opened the door and they headed inside.

Stiles' phone dinged indicating he had a text message. "Does nordic blue monkshood mean anything to you?"

"Its a rare form of wolf's bane," Derek replied. Scarlet was still standing in the doorway, her arms crossed as she stared at him. "He has to bring me the bullet."

"Why," Stiles asked.

"Because I'm going to die without it," Derek explained. He immediately looked at Scarlet but she staring down at her shoes.

"We should get you inside," Stiles said as he glanced between them. He pulled Derek up and led them further into the clinic into one of the examination rooms. Derek tugged his shirt off and tossed it aside. Under any other circumstances Scarlet would have checked him out, but now she couldn't stop staring at the bullet wound.

"You know, that really doesn't look like anything," Stiles started to say but Scarlet cut him off.

"Do not be sarcastic right now."

"If the infection reaches my heart it will kill me," Derek said breathlessly. He began to search through the cabinets for something.

"Positivity just isn't in your vocabulary, is it," Stiles asked.

"Really? Do you think that is helping anyone right now," Scarlet cried as she stared at her twin.

"If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time, I have a last resort," Derek explained.

"Which is," Stiles asked as Derek held up a saw.

"You're going to cut off my arm," Derek replied.

"No he's not," Scarlet said firmly. Derek came back to the table passing Stiles the saw. He began tying a strap around his arm as Stiles picked up the saw and buzzed it a few times.

"Oh my god," Stiles said before setting down the saw. "What if you bleed to death?"

"It will heal if it works," Derek replied.

"If it works? You want my brother to cut off your arm and you don't even know if this is going to work," Scarlet demanded.

"Look I don't know if I can do this," Stiles said as he glanced at Scarlet.

"Why not," Derek snapped.

"Well, because cutting flesh, sawing the bone, and especially the blood!"

"You faint at the sight of blood," Derek said in exasperation.

"No, but I might at the sight of a chopped off arm!"

"All right fine, how about this? Either you cut off my arm, or I'm going to cut off your head," Derek offered.

"Ok, you know, I'm so not buying your threats anymore," Stiles said as Derek reached out and grabbed him, yanking him forward. "Oh my god, ok, fine, sold, I'll do it, I'll do it."

Derek inhaled sharply and leaned away from Stiles before vomiting onto the floor. "Holy god, what the hell is that," Stiles asked. Scarlet wiped off Derek's face and shook her head at him.

"My body is trying to heal itself."

"Well it's not doing a very good job of it," Stiles replied.

"Now, you've got to do it now," Derek ordered.

"No, he's not cutting off your arm," Scarlet shouted. "There has to be something else! This could kill you, we should wait for Scott!"

"Look honestly I don't think I can," Stiles said quickly.

"Just do it," Derek shouted at him. Scarlet stepped back from them and shook her head at Derek. She made her way to the door as Stiles turned on the saw. She wasn't going to stay and watch this, she couldn't.

"Stiles," Scott called out before Stiles could do it though.

"Oh thank god," Scarlet said as she opened the door for Scott.

"What the hell are you doing," Scott demanded when he saw the saw.

"He was going to cut Derek's arm off," Scarlet cried.

"Oh, you just prevented a lifetime of nightmares," Stiles added.

"Did you get it," Derek asked as he pushed himself up. Scott immediately dug the bullet out of his pocket and passed it to him.

"What are you going to do with it," Stiles asked.

"I'm going to... I'm gonna," Derek said before collapsing again. Scarlet was across the room in a second kneeling next to him.

"Derek, Derek, open your eyes. Don't you dare do this to me you ass," she cried as she began to tap his face. "You can not die like this. Wake up!"

"I think he's dying, I think he's dead," Stiles said as he felt the side of Derek's neck for a pulse.

"He's NOT dead," Scarlet cried as she hit Derek on the chest. "Wake up you ass!"

Stiles glanced between the two of them before pulling back and punching Derek. It worked and Derek immediately demanded the bullet as he climbed to his feet. Scarlet remained kneeling on the floor so she couldn't tell what was happening, until Derek hit the floor again and began to cry out in pain. The wound healed though, completely disappearing.

"That was awesome," Stiles said emphatically. "YES!"

Derek rose to his feet as Scarlet pushed Scott and Stiles out of the way to get to him. "Are you ok," she asked as she helped him to his feet.

"Except for the agonizing pain," he said brusquely.

"I guess the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health," Stiles replied.

"Ok, we saved your life, which means you are going to leave us alone. Scarlet too," Scott ordered. "You got that? And if you don't I'm going to go back to Alison's dad, I'm going to tell him everything!"

"You're going to trust them," Derek asked. "You think they can help you?"

"Well why not," Scott demanded. "They're a lot freaking nicer than you are!"

"Yeah, I can show you exactly how nice they are," Derek replied.

"What do you mean," Scott asked.

"Come with me, there is something you have to see," Derek ordered before moving around Scarlet to grab his shirt. He didn't even look at her as he did so. Scarlet clenched her fists and stared at his back for a moment.

"No, you two give us a minute please? I need to talk to him," Scarlet said lowly.

"Uh, sure," Stiles said as he grabbed Scott's arm. He knew that look on her face, Scarlet was about to go off. She waited until they were out of the room to say anything.

"So that's it? You don't have anything to say to me? You almost died, you were going to make my brother cut off your arm and now you are going to run off with Scott, without so much as a word to me," Scarlet cried.

"Yeah, I am. You have to get used to this Scarlet, people are going to try and kill me," Derek snapped.

"And I'm supposed to be ok with that and act like it wasn't awful? Because it was awful Derek."

"I am aware of how awful it was Scarlet, I'm the one that got shot remember?"

"You know what, fuck you Derek. Seriously I don't get this, I don't understand why this happened to us, so how do we undo this, how do we make this mate thing go away? You obviously don't want me as your mate, you just want me around when its convient for you. That's exactly like Jackson and you were the one that told me I deserve better than that! Make this go away! I don't care how you do it, but this, you treating me like this, its not what I wanted."

Derek stared at her for a long moment, Scarlet knew what he was doing. He was seeing if she was lying, if she was just speaking out of anger or if she actually meant what she was saying. Derek looked away from her, hurt in his eyes. "It can't be undo Scarlet, I'm sorry," Derek said before walking out of the room.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Scarlet did what anyone would have done, well what Stiles would have done anyway. She did research, lots of research, and when that didn't work she wallowed. Her dad took Stiles along with him to work one night and Scarlet decided to drag herself out of bed and go rent some movies. She didn't bother changing out of her sweatpants, simply pulled on her fuzzy boots and a sweatshirt before trudging out the door.

She parked the jeep next to what she assumed was Lydia's car. She glanced through the windshield to see that Lydia was indeed there. She waved a hand at her before heading inside.

"Can someone help me find The Notebook," Jackson called out. "Is anybody working here?"

"The notebook, what a manly movie," Scarlet said jokingly as she came toward him. The phone continued to ring at the desk which gave her cause for concern. "I think the notebook is over here."

Scarlet took a couple of steps down the aisle before she froze, noticing a pair of feet on the ground. "Jackson," she said as she pointed toward it. Jackson moved around her and slowly crept forward to get a better look. Scarlet trailed behind him nervously.

They came around the corner and Scarlet let out a scream, the store employee was on the ground, his throat ripped, blood rushing down his front. She and Jackson scrambled back, slamming into the ladder, knocking it down and causing all the lights in the building to flicker madly.

Jackson turned away from her and let out a strangled noise. Scarlet turned toward him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her down to the floor next to him. "What is it," Scarlet whispered as he leaned around the end of the display case. He immediately pulled back and pressed his finger to his lips. The case began to shake slightly and some dvds fell on them.

Scarlet grabbed Jackson's hand and bit down on her lip to keep from making any noise. Jackson leaned around the corner again, but a series of crashes sounded through the room. He yanked Scarlet forward, but it was too late, they were both pinned beneath the case.

Loud, snorting breaths sounded from just behind them. Scarlet supressed a scream as the creature touched the back of Jackson's neck. It turned its attention to her, its nose skimming against her back between her shoulder blades. It's claws tugged down the neck of her sweatshirt, revealing the mark she shared with Derek. Without warning, its claws dug into her skin, dragging across the mark, tearing the soft skin and disfiguring the mark.

Scarlet cried out in pain, but as suddenly as it had started, it ended and the creature was gone, leaping through the window of the building and running away.

"Are you ok," Jackson asked after a moment. "Did it hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Scarlet said as she tried to wiggle loose from the case. She couldn't tell him what the creature had done to her, she was pretty sure that it was the alpha and it knew who she was too. "We have to get out of here and call the police."

"JACKSON, SCARLET," Lydia screamed as she burst into the room. She had her phone in hand and was talking rapidly in to it. "Oh my god, they are alive, it didn't kill them. Are you two ok?"

"We're fine, couple of bruises but fine," Scarlet said as she continued to struggle to free herself. With Lydia's help she and Jackson managed to get out from beneath the case. They made it outside just as the police and an ambulance showed up. The three of them were immediately ushered over to the ambulance.

"Why can't I just go home," Jackson suddenly demanded.

"I hear ya, but the emt says you hit your head pretty hard," Scarlet's dad explained. Scarlet had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't even realized her dad was there.

"Dad," she cried as she climbed out of the back of the ambulance.

"Scar, what are you doing here," he demanded as she threw herself into his arms.

"I came to get a movie, it was awful," she explained as he hugged her. Jackson began to argue with her father again as Stiles approached them. Scarlet immediately pulled him into a hug. She looked up at the roof of the building just in time to see Scott and Derek disappear from view. She hadn't spoken to Derek since he'd told her that the bond between them couldn't be broken. She stared at the spot they had been standing in for a moment before pulling away from Stiles.

"Can we please go home? We didn't see anything," she pleaded as she glanced at Jackson.

Her dad simply nodded as he turned his attention to the dead body of the store employee. Scarlet dug her keys out of her pocket and headed over to the jeep. She headed straight home and climbed in the shower. She flinched when the warm water ran over her back, the marks from the creature stinging wildly. She waited until the water ran clear before climbing out.

Scarlet had not told the EMT about the injury, telling them meant explaining the mark and she had no excuse for that. Scarlet tugged on her pajamas and shuffled out of the bathroom. She paused when she noticed her window was standing open. She took a small step forward, but froze in her tracks. Her room didn't feel safe anymore, she didn't feel safe anymore. Scarlet took another small step forward, gasping when the shadows next to the window seemed to shift.

"It's ok, it's me," Derek said as he stepped out of the shadows. Scarlet heaved a sigh and rushed toward him, burying her face in his chest. "You're shaking, tell me what happened, please?"

"I can't," she whispered. She knew if she told him that he would go after the creature, and that the creature could kill him. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Scarlet, please. I need to know what you saw. Was it the alpha?"

Scarlet pulled away from him and sat on her bed. She buried her face in her hands before answering him. "Yeah, it was the alpha. He knew Derek, or she, I don't know, but whoever it is, they knew."

"Knew what," Derek asked as he sat down next to her. He brushed her hair of out of the way so he could see her face.

"Knew about my mark," Scarlet whispered. "And the marks on the back of Jackson's neck from where your claws dug into him."

"What did it do?"

"It touched the back of Jackson's neck, it like dug its claws into the marks," she explained. She ran a hand through her damp hair, her fingers getting caught in the tangled curls. Derek reached up and carefully pulled her fingers loose for her. He kept staring at her though, as though he knew she wasn't telling him the whole truth.

"What did it do to you," Derek asked. Scarlet made to move away from him but Derek grabbed her shoulder to keep her there. Scarlet cried out in pain as his fingers pressed into the marks left by the alpha and she flinched away from him. Derek's face furled in confusion as he stared at her.

Scarlet shrugged his hand off her shoulder and stood up. She turned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself as she moved. She could feel her t-shirt sticking to the marks.

"Is that blood," Derek asked as he rose from the bed. Scarlet whirled around and shook her head repeatedly. She backed away from him, until she ran into the wall. "Scarlet, what did it do?"

"No," Scarlet cried. "Don't Derek, please, we have to end this ok? This isn't working, neither of us is happy, and... it's only going to end badly. So we're done, and you need to leave. Now."

"Tell me what the alpha did to you," Derek demanded. He didn't understand what was going on with her. He knew that things had been hard lately, but your mate wasn't supposed to want out this desperately. Something was terribly wrong for her to be acting like this. Her heart was racing and Derek could see her shaking, he knew she was lying.

"Nothing, he didn't do anything."

"You said he saw your mark, how did it see your mark," Derek asked. Scarlet made to move around him, but Derek moved in front of her. He gently put his hands on her waist, worried about scaring her further. "Scarlet, please, tell me what happened."

"I can't," Scarlet wailed. She uncrossed her arms and attempted to push Derek away but he wouldn't budge. "If I show you, you'll go after him, and he will kill you! I can't, I won't."

"Show me what," Derek asked as her hands fisted in his shirt. "Scarlet, show me what? I swear, I won't go after it, just show me what it did to you!"

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she met his gaze. Small sobs escaped her mouth as she collapsed into his chest. "It's trying to take me away from you, it doesn't want me with you, it knew Derek," Scarlet sobbed into his chest. "I'm so scared."

Derek wrapped his arms tightly around, holding her close. He could tell now that the alpha had hurt her, he could smell the blood. As he looked down, he saw the blood slowly seeping through the back of her shirt. He tightened his arm around her waist, trapping her against him as his other hand tugged down the back of her shirt. He drew in a sharp breath when he saw what had happened to her mark. It was basically shredded by claw marks, the marks weren't deep but they were still bleeding.

"Don't leave, please don't leave," Scarlet pleaded through her tears. "I can't lose you too. People always leave me."

The weight of her statement hit him hard. She had lost her mother, and he had lost most of his family. "I won't, I won't do anything Scarlet, I promise," Derek whispered as he held her.

Derek scooped her up and carried her over to the bed, sitting down on it with her in his lap. He held her until the sobs subsided. She was still shaking though and her shirt was stained with blood.

"Will you let me see it now? Why didn't you show the paramedics," Derek asked softly.

"I would have to explain the mark, I didn't know what to say and I was afraid I would tell them what it really was and that it would ruin everything," Scarlet explained. Derek carried her into the bathroom and set her on the edge of the tub. She turned her back to him and tugged the shirt off. She crossed her arms over her chest as a blush raced up her face.

Derek pressed a kiss to the back of her shoulder as he pushed her hair out of the way. "Do you have a rubber band or something," he asked. She gave him a strange look before pointing to the shelves over the toilet. He found something to pull her hair up with. He struggled with it for a moment, not knowing what to do with all of it.

"Give it to me," Scarlet said holding a hand over her shoulder. She quickly uncrossed her arms and yanked all of her hair up on top of her head. She turned her head just slightly, and Derek was taken by how beautiful she was. She dropped her arms down and crossed them back over her chest.

"Ok, uh, what do we need to take care of this? Bandages, some...," Derek trailed off as he looked through the cabinet under the sink.

"That brown bottle is peroxide, there's a box that should have some gauze bandages, just pour the peroxide over it, when it stops fizzing you can put a bandage on it," Scarlet explained.

"Isn't that going to hurt?"

"Yeah, it is," Scarlet said as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Ok," Derek said hesitantly. He unscrewed the cap and stared at the marks for a moment before pouring the peroxide over it. Scarlet hissed in pain her back arching slightly as she did so. Derek blew on it, causing goosebumps to race down her back. He couldn't help but smirk slightly at her reaction. He kept up the process until it stopped fizzing then put the bandage on for her. Scarlet started to put on her bloody t-shirt, but Derek pulled it out of her hands and tossed it in her hamper.

"Here," he said as he pulled his shirt off and handed it to her. "Wear mine."

Scarlet slowly pulled his shirt on before turning to look at him. She smiled slightly as she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. She followed him back into the bedroom. Derek started to say something, but froze, listening intently.

"Your dad and Stiles are home," he informed her.

"In the closet or under the bed," Scarlet asked with a small grin. She never thought she would have to hide a guy in her room, but Derek was the type of guy that had to be hidden. The front door slammed open and Derek immediately climbed into her closet. Scarlet made sure that door was securely closed before pulling down the blankets on her bed and getting under them. She left the lamp on her nightstand on, but rolled onto her side and pretended to be asleep.

Her bedroom door creaked open and someone stepped inside. The bed shifted as someone sat on it. "Scarlet," her dad said softly as he put a hand on her shoulder. She fluttered her eyes open and smiled at him. "You need anything kid? How are you doing?"

"I'm ok, just tired. Do you know what happened," she asked.

"It was another animal attack, we're not sure though. Are you sure you are ok? You don't have to go to school tomorrow, just stay home and... deal, is that what you guys do," her dad asked.

"We try to deal," Scarlet said with a grin. "I'll see how I feel in the morning."

"All right, I'll let you get some sleep. I'm glad you are ok, I love you Scar."

"Love you too dad," Scarlet said before kissing him on the cheek. He left the room only to be replaced by Stiles moments later.

"Was it the alpha," Stiles demanded.

"Stiles, please I just want to go to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow, I promise."

"This is ridiculous, Scott isn't answering his phone, Derek has disappeared, you won't tell me what happened," Stiles muttered.

"Derek is in my closet," Scarlet confided. Derek pushed the door open and stepped out giving her an annoyed look. "Sorry, but now he will go away, because you don't like each other."

"Yep," Stiles said as he headed toward the door. "See you in the morning, keep it down in here please. I don't need to hear my twin and her werewolf boyfriend getting it on, I will be scarred permanently."

"Really Stiles? We aren't having sex," Scarlet snapped. "We talked about that!"

"I don't need to know about it Scar! That was the most awkward conversation ever! You keep that information to yourself ok?" Stiles shut the door as he left, leaving Scarlet and Derek in an uncomfortable silence.

"So, you told your twin that we weren't having sex," Derek asked as he stared at the now closed door.

"He asked me if you were as bossy in bed as you are in every day life, I told him I didn't know, you had declared a war on sex," Scarlet explained as Derek sat down on the bed.

"A war on sex? Us waiting is a war on sex," Derek asked.

"It is when you were the only one who got a say in the decision."

"And what is your say?"

"Really? My shirtless boyfriend with amazing abs wants to know what I think about us having sex? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what my say is," Scarlet shot back.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"We talked about this, you agreed that we would wait," Derek pointed out as he joined her on the bed.

"After almost dying tonight, I'm rethinking that agreement," Scarlet admitted.

"You did not almost die, yes the alpha knows that you have a mate, but it also knows that you are human. It won't hurt you, it might try to break the bond, but it won't hurt you."

"I thought you said the bond can't be broken."

"Not by one of us, but if another werewolf wanted you badly enough, they would have to... mark you."

"Mark me," Scarlet asked.

"Change you, into a werewolf, not only would you be in their pack, but if someone other than me were to change you, you would basically belong to them. It wouldn't be like us, we belong to one another, if the alpha were to change you, he would have control over you, you belong to him, but he belongs to no one."

"So all he has to do is change me? I thought you said he wouldn't hurt me," Scarlet replied.

"Yes biting you would hurt you, but in order for him to break the bond, he would also have to kill me. That is the only way to break the bond," Derek explained.

"And you think that the alpha will do that," Scarlet asked.

"I don't know Scar, I don't know what he wants, what he's after. I think for now, we are safe, this is more of a message to me. He's telling me that he knows about you, trust me, he could have changed you tonight, but he didn't. It's a warning."

"Derek," Scarlet said as she ran a hand through her hair. "What if he..."

"Don't, don't do that. We don't know what he wants, we don't know that he's going to try and break our bond, don't think about it," Derek said as he grabbed her hand. "I will protect you."

"Like you protected me tonight," Scarlet snapped. She immediately regretted it though. "I'm sorry, that's not fair."

"You're right, I should have known where you were, I didn't know you were there until you climbed out of the ambulance. I'm so caught up in figuring out who the alpha is and dealing with Scott that I haven't, I haven't been there for you."

Scarlet leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You're here now," she said. She pulled back and nervously met his gaze. "Will you stay with me? I don't want to be alone tonight."

"Yeah, of course," Derek said. He rose from the bed and took off his jeans. Scarlet stared at him for a moment a blush racing up her face. She quickly glanced away from him but pushed the blankets down so he could join her. It took them a moment to get settled, but soon Scarlet was tucked securely against Derek's chest, his arm thrown across her waist.

Being this close to her, made Derek hyperaware of everything about her. The way her body moved as she breathed, the way her hair fell across her skin, the way her skin smelled and felt, every twitch of her body. While sleep came easily for Scarlet once she was wrapped in Derek's arms, it did not come easy for him.

Derek lay awake going over every detail in his mind, who could the alpha be? What did it have against him and his family? How far would this person go to hurt him and would hurting him also mean hurting Scarlet? His biggest concern was how to keep her safe, how was he going to protect her when he didn't know who was the threat. The night slowly passed and eventually Derek was able to fall asleep.

It didn't last long though, a noise in the house jolted him awake. His eyes flew open and his gaze roamed the room as he listened intently to the sounds. Scarlet shifted slightly, in their sleep, Scarlet had ended up with her head on his chest. Derek carefully shifted out from beneath her and grabbed his jeans off the floor. Her dad was awake, and it was only a matter of minutes before he came in to check on her.

Derek pulled his shoes on, before glancing at the bed once more. He briefly considered leaving a note in case Scarlet woke up while he was gone. He knew that her dad might find it, so he decided against it. He pushed the window open and climbed out, closing the window behind him.

It was some time later that Scarlet woke up. She rolled over, her hand reaching for Derek but found he was not there. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw that her room was empty, the bed was cold now. She sat up and glanced at the clock. It was well past time for her to go to school. She wondered if her dad or Stiles had come to wake her, but she figured that they had not wanted to wake her up.

Scarlet drew her knees up into her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She rested her forehead against her knees and let out a soft sigh. Last night came rushing back to her in a flash and her head snapped up. Her entire body tensed and she drew in a shaky breath. She squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled Derek's shirt tighter around her.

Suddenly, Scarlet heard a series of noises from outside the house. She glanced toward her window and her breath caught in her throat as a shadow passed over it. She scrambled out of her bed and pulled open her closet door. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her as she sank down to the floor. She pushed herself back so she was pressed against the wall.

Scarlet pressed her hand over her mouth to keep from making any noises. She could hear someone moving around her room. She squeezed her eyes shut again and her closet door was yanked open. She flinched back, bumping her head against the wall as she did so.

"Scarlet, what are you doing," Derek asked as he stared at her.

Her eyes popped open and she stared back at him. She scrambled off the floor and threw herself into his arms. Derek stumbled back a step, surprised by her reaction. "I thought you were the alpha," Scarlet mumbled into his chest.

Derek drew in a deep breath as he realized that this was what her life was going to be like until they got rid of the alpha. She was going to be afraid and in danger until he stopped whoever it was. "It's fine, I didn't want your dad to find us together so I went home and changed. I brought you breakfast," he explained.

Scarlet pulled back and looked up at him. She gave him a weak smile before kissing him on the cheek. She stared at Derek for a moment, a strange look in her eyes. She shook her head suddenly and pulled away from him, stepping toward the bathroom. "I'm going to use the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute."

Derek caught her wrist as she moved away from him. She turned and met his gaze, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she looked back at him. "Are you ok," Derek asked. He tucked a stray curl behind her ear as she nodded at him. She caught his hand as it trailed across her cheek. She leaned into his touch, breathing out as she did so.

"I'm scared," Scarlet whispered.

"I'm scared too," Derek admitted. Scarlet's eyes widened as she stared at him. He pulled her into a hug holding her tightly. "I'm going to do everything that I can to protect you, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried. I need to know what you and Jackson saw last night."

Scarlet pulled away from him and ran a hand through her hair. She wandered into her bathroom and turned on her sink. Derek knew that she needed a moment to collect herself so he sat on her bed and waited. Scarlet stared at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. Last night was a blur, but there were things that stood out to her.

Scarlet spat out the toothpaste and met Derek's gaze in the mirror. She looked down as she began to speak. "I don't know what Jackson saw. He saw something because he pulled me down behind the shelf, but I don't know if he saw what it was."

"Did you," Derek asked as he rose from the bed and leaned against the doorframe.

Scarlet nodded silently and fidgeted with her toothbrush. "It wasn't a mountain lion, or a cougar. It was too big. It had red eyes and black fur. There was only one thing it could have been," she finally said.

"What?"

"A wolf," Scarlet said as she turned to face him. "A werewolf I mean, but not like you or Scott. Neither of you looked like that when you... shifted? Is that what you call it?"

"Yeah, so it was a wolf," Derek said.

"A huge wolf, I mean it was massive and it didn't look like a regular wolf. The way it was leaning over us, it was more human than animal. It was so angry."

"Angry," Derek asked. "How did you know it was angry?"

Scarlet crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. "I don't know, it wasn't like... you remember that day at the lake? When I was having a panic attack and you found me? You said you knew something was wrong. When the alpha saw my mark, I knew it was angry. I could feel how angry it was."

"Did... did you...," Derek trailed off unsure of how to phrase the question.

"Did I what?"

"Did you get anything else?"

Scarlet raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Like what?"

"That day at the lake, I knew in my gut there was something wrong with you. Last night though, I had no idea you were even there. Did the alpha do anything else to you? Did you sense anything other than anger?"

Scarlet pursed her lips as she glanced down, trying to remember. She chewed at her lip as she thought. "I don't... I don't know Derek."

"Close your eyes," Derek said as he moved closer to her. She met his gaze for a moment before closing her eyes. "Relax, don't think about anything, just clear your mind."

Scarlet tried to do as he asked. She inhaled sharply when she felt his hands on either side of her face. Derek pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and she relaxed into him. He pulled back slightly resting his forehead against hers.

Suddenly she was back there, pinned beneath the shelf and the alpha was crouched over her again. Scarlet let out a sharp cry and jerked away from Derek. She drew in a ragged breath as she stared at him in confusion.

"Did you do that," she demanded.

"What did you see?"

"Why did you do that," Scarlet cried instead of answering him.

"I triggered your memories, I need to know exactly what happened last night. What else did you feel?"

Scarlet stared at him for a long moment before answering him. "It wanted me," she whispered.

"Wanted you how?"

"It thought... I was pretty and it wanted me," Scarlet replied in disgust.

"Scarlet," Derek said as he reached for her. She jerked away from him shaking her head.

"You should go."

"Scarlet," Derek started to say.

"No, Derek you should go. I can't do this right now. I'll text you later."

"Fine," Derek snapped. "You want me to leave, I'll leave."

Scarlet didn't move until he got to the window. She took two steps forward and he froze. "Derek," she whispered. He turned his head to the side, his jaw clenched tight. "This is a lot worse than you thought it was. Isn't it?"

Derek turned to face her, the look in her eyes cutting him down to his core. She looked down, knowing it was hurting him. That didn't stop the tears though. She leaned against the doorframe and slowly sank to the ground. Derek caught her before she hit the floor though. She clung to him as the realization hit her.

"We can't see one another any more," Derek whispered. "It's not safe for you. The Argents know about you, the alpha knows. It's only a matter of time before you are put in serious danger. Until this is over, we can't be together."

Scarlet nodded but continued to cry. She knew he was trying to do what was best, but it didn't hurt any less. "I know," Scarlet whispered. She rested her forehead against his chest as she tried to stop her tears.

"If something happens, if you are in trouble, I will know. Its just for a little while, until all this is over."

"I know."

Derek pressed a kiss to the top of her head before pulling away from her. He quickly made his way to the window and climbed out without looking back. He knew if he looked at her sitting on the floor with tears on her face he would never leave.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The next few days were a blur for Scarlet. She went straight from school to her house. She barely spoke, but people were too busy talking about what had happened to her to actually talk to her. Stiles didn't need her to respond to him, he just talked on without her.

Scarlet knew that her father was concerned about her but she couldn't bring herself to talk about that night. Every night since she'd been marked by the alpha she'd had terrible nightmares. In them, someone was always chasing after her, she was running through the woods trying to get away, just like the night she had met Derek. She kept waiting for Derek to show up, he had told her he would know if she were in trouble, but he never came. She always woke up screaming.

Scarlet seriously considered calling or texting Derek and telling him she wanted to see him. Knowing she couldn't be around him was painful for her. She felt like there was a hole in her chest. She knew that he would be able to help her with the nightmares, but she didn't want to put him or herself in anymore danger.

So she suffered, she dealt with the dreams. She tried to get through her days as best she could, but it was overwhelming. She could barely sit through her classes, but when Jackson didn't show up for chem one day she panicked and left the room. Her teacher excused her because he knew that she was having a hard time.

As Scarlet made her way down the hallway, she spotted Jackson sitting on the floor. It wasn't until she was almost next to him that she realized he was with Alison. "It feels like something was stolen from you, and you would do anything in the world to get it back," Jackson said.

"Haven't you ever learned that there is no i in team," Alison teased.

"Yeah, but there is a me," Scarlet said at the same time Jackson did. They exchanged a look before Jackson laughed.

"That was a joke," he said when he saw the look on Alison's face. Scarlet noticed the way that Jackson was rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at Alison. "You must really really hate me."

"Not at all," Alison said quickly. She glanced at Scarlet briefly, but returned her attention to Jackson.

"You sure? I'm not a bad guy, I mean I make stupid mistakes, a lot, but I'm not bad. I really like you and Scott, I mean I really like you both, and I want you guys to like me. I want to get to know you guys better," Jackson said. Scarlet wondered what he was up to as he spoke. "Ask Scarlet, I'm a great friend if you let me be."

Alison looked at Scarlet again, who was still standing there awkwardly. Jackson looked at her for the first time and stood up. Scarlet drew in a ragged breath as she smiled weakly.

"Yeah, Jackson is great once you get to know him," she said quickly. He touched her wrist, before gently taking hold of her hand.

"You ok," Jackson asked. Scarlet shook her head, not trusting herself to speak to him. "Come on, you look like you could use something to eat. Let's go to the vending machines. We'll see you later Alison."

Alison smiled at them both, noting the way Jackson protectively wrapped his arm around Scarlet's shoulders before leading her away. Alison also noticed the way Scarlet's head dropped onto his shoulder as they rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

"What's up with you? You look like you haven't slept," Jackson said.

"I haven't, I've been having nightmares since we were attacked," Scarlet explained. Jackson stopped in front of the vending machines. He let go of her long enough to buy her favorite chips before taking her hand again and leading her over to a bench. Scarlet took the bag from him but didn't eat them.

"Eat Scarlet," Jackson ordered. She took one chip, chewing slowly. Jackson tucked her hair behind her ear as he watched her. He had always been different with her when it was just the two of them. Scarlet had always assumed that he was that way with Lydia too, but now she wasn't so sure. "How are you dealing with what happened?"

"I'm not dealing with it, that's how. I'm having nightmares, I keep seeing things that aren't there, I'm afraid all the time, I don't know what to do," Scarlet burst out. She met Jackson's gaze and she knew she had to ask him. "What was that thing? What did you see Jackson?"

"I... I don't know Scar, it happened so fast. It had to be a mountain lion like they said. I mean what else could it be?"

"I don't know. I just wish I could forget about it," Scarlet whispered as she leaned against Jackson. He rubbed circles on her back and she began to relax for the first time in days.

"I miss us hanging out like we used to," Jackson admitted. Scarlet raised her eyebrows at him, not sure what he meant by that. "I don't mean the sex, I mean us being able to just hang out, watch tv, talk, whatever. Other than Danny, you are basically my best friend. I feel like us sleeping together screwed that up. I want us to get back to that."

"Wow, Jackson Whittemore is having a sensitive moment. I feel like I should alert the press," Scarlet said with a small smile.

"Yeah well, I wouldn't get too used to it Stilinski," Jackson warned. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and let her lean against him. "I meant what I said though, I want us to be friends again. Real friends, not friends who have to sneak around."

"I'd like that, I could use a friend right now."

"Me too."

...

Later that night, Scarlet was at the school in one of the music practice rooms. Her piano teacher had gotten her a key a few months ago since she didn't have a piano at home. Her fingers raced over the keys, her mind completely focused on the music she was playing. She jumped when a whining howl sounded over the p.a. system.

Scarlet rose from the piano bench and moved toward the door. She stepped out into the hallway and glanced around. She glanced out the window to the parking lot and saw that the jeep was there. Another howl sounded, this one lower and much louder than before. The lockers and doors began to rattle.

Scarlet scrambled toward the door and rushed outside. She stumbled down the steps of the school, freezing when she saw that Derek's car was in the parking lot as well. She took another step forward, but stopped again when Derek stepped around the back of the jeep.

"What are you doing here," Derek demanded as she came toward him.

"I was practicing, what was that?"

"Scott, calling the Alpha, you have to leave right now," Derek ordered. "I'm going to kill both of you! What the hell was that? What are you trying to do, attract the entire state to the school?"

Scarlet turned to find her brother and Scott standing behind her. "Are you two stupid? This is the worst idea you have ever had," she snapped.

"Sorry I didn't know it would be that loud," Scott said clearly impressed by that roar.

"Yeah it was loud, and it was awesome," Stiles declared.

"Shut up," Derek ordered.

"Don't be such a sour wolf," Stiles shot back.

"Don't talk to him like that," Scarlet snapped.

"What'd you do with him," Scott asked as he glanced inside the back of Derek's car.

"What," Derek asked as he too looked inside. Scarlet stared in confusion as the backseat was currently empty. "I didn't do anything."

Suddenly Derek was lifted off the ground and blood began to drip from his mouth. The alpha had hold of him and was roaring at them. Scarlet screamed as Stiles grabbed her arm and yanked her back. They ran toward the school as the alpha threw Derek into the side of the building and he hit the ground. Scott and Stiles slammed the doors shut as Scarlet dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands.

Derek was dead, no one lived through that, there was no way. Scarlet let out a sob as she pressed her hands over her ears blocking out whatever Scott and Stiles were saying. She jumped when someone grabbed her arm and jerked her off the ground. She stumbled blindly behind Scott as he pulled her into a classroom.

They started to push the desk toward the door as Scarlet crossed over to the window. She peered out trying to get a glimpse of Derek. She couldn't see him from where they were though. She drew in a ragged breath, biting down on her lip as she started to cry.

"He killed Derek," Stiles said firmly.

"Derek's not dead, he can't be dead," Scott replied.

"Blood spurted out of his mouth that doesn't exactly qualify as a minor injury," Stiles shot back.

"He's not dead," Scarlet informed them.

"How do you know," Stiles demanded.

"If he were dead, she would know," Scott said as though it should make all the sense in the world. "She's like his mate or something, I don't know how it works, but she would know if he were dead."

"He's not dead," Scarlet repeated. It was more to convince herself than anything, she had to believe he wasn't dead.

"Yeah well he's no good to us at this point, we are in here and he is out there, semi-dead or whatever he is," Stiles pointed out.

"Ok, what do we do," Scott asked.

"We get to my jeep, we get out of here, and you seriously think about quitting your job," Stiles replied.

Scott and Stiles joined her at the window as they began to discuss their options. They didn't really have any though. Scarlet noticed that something was wrong with the hood of the jeep first.

"You guys," she said as she pointed to the jeep. They ignored her, until something crashed through the window raining glass down on them.

"That's my battery," Stiles said angrily.

"Our battery," Scarlet reminded him.

"Beside the point right now," Stiles said as he started to climb off the ground. "We have to move."

"He could be right outside," Scott whispered.

"He is right outside," Scarlet and Stiles snapped.

"Just let me take a look," Scott said before they all began to climb off the floor.

"Anything," Stiles asked.

"No," Scott replied.

"Move now?"

Scott nodded and they all crept toward the door. Stiles kept his hand on her back pushing her along with them. "This way," Scott said as he started up the hallway.

"No, somewhere without windows," Stiles quickly said.

"Every room in this building has windows," Scott exclaimed.

"Less windows."

They all exchanged a look as they wondered where they could go. "The locker room," Scott suggested.

"I think we should split up," Scarlet said quickly.

"Uh, no," Stiles cried. "Why would we do that?"

"It wants Scott! No offense, Scott. The two of you go to the locker room. I will sneak outside and get Derek's keys. We can take his car and get out of here," Scarlet explained.

"It's not a terrible idea," Scott pointed out.

"Except the part where we send my twin sister off on her own to face a psycho werewolf! It's already attacked you once, what's going to stop it this time?"

"It won't kill me," Scarlet said firmly. She knew that if Derek were dead or dying the alpha might take this chance to change her, but it wouldn't kill her. She would be ok, she had to get to Derek though. She had to make sure he was ok. "Look, I have my phone, I'll text you guys when I get the keys. We have to make sure Derek is ok. I'll get him in the car and go find help."

"Where are you going to get help? What are you going to do," Stiles demanded.

"I'll go get Dad. I'll tell him we need his help, he'll come, you know he will."

"We are not going to put dad in danger Scar!"

"What are we going to do Stiles? The longer we stand here arguing the more likely we are to get caught by the alpha! We have to do something. You guys go hide in the locker room. I will get the keys!"

Scarlet pulled her brother into a hug and stepped back from him. Before he or Scott could stop her she took off at a run. She made her way back over to where they had come into the building. Scarlet pulled the bolt cutters off the door and peered out. She could see Derek from where she was.

Scarlet slowly pushed the door open and stepped outside. She let the door shut behind her as she crept toward Derek. She knelt next to him, feeling his neck for a pulse. She couldn't help but grin when she felt his heart steady beneath her fingers. She let out a sigh of relief as she rolled him onto his back.

That's when she heard the low growl. Scarlet froze and looked to her left, coming face to face with the alpha. Scarlet made no sound, but her grip on Derek's arm tightened. She stared back into the red eyes of the alpha as his emotions swept over her. She wanted to move, to run away, to flinch, but she couldn't do anything.

The alpha leaned closer to her, its nose rubbing against her neck as it pushed her hair out of the way. Scarlet swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut as the alpha continued to touch her neck. It moved behind her, it's nose pressing against the marks it had left on her back. She cried out in pain as it dug it's claws in and reopened the wounds.

Scarlet flinched away from the creature, expecting to fall into Derek, but she hit grass instead. She heard another growl, but didn't move as Derek and the alpha fought. Scarlet screamed when something brushed against her cheek.

"Scarlet it's me," Derek exclaimed. Scarlet's head snapped up when she heard his voice.

"Are you ok," she demanded as she reached for him. Derek shook his head at her and deflected her hands.

"Don't you'll get blood on you," he warned. "We have to get out of here, I can't protect you like this."

"We have to help Scott and Stiles, they are inside," Scarlet cried. She stared at Derek for a moment and realized how weak he was. He hadn't recovered from what the alpha had done to him and he had just used the rest of his strength to protect her. "Ok, I'll take you back to your place, but I am calling my dad on the way there to tell him what is going on."

"Fine," Derek said before struggling to his feet. Scarlet pulled his arm around her shoulders and helped him over to the car. She took the keys out of his jacket pocket and rushed around to the other side. She glanced back at the school one last time before starting his car and pulling out of the parking lot.

They drove silently back to Derek's house. Scarlet waited until she got Derek inside to call her dad. Derek collapsed on the sofa as soon as she let him go. She pulled her phone out and called her dad's phone.

"Voicemail, damn it," she muttered. "Hey dad, listen I think there is something going on at the school, something bad. You need to get over there, Scott and Stiles are there. They need your help."

She slipped her phone back in her pocket and glanced at Derek. "I'm going to take your car back over there. I have to help them," Scarlet said as she fidgeted with Derek's keys.

"Scarlet, it will kill you."

"I have to help my brother Derek. I will never forgive myself if something happens to him!"

"How am I supposed to feel if something happens to you," Derek demanded. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down next to him. "Listen to me, there is nothing you can do to help them. Scott can protect Stiles better than you can. You need to stay out of it."

"So I'm supposed to sit here and wait to find out if my brother is dead or alive?"

"You don't really have another option," Derek replied tiredly.

Scarlet heaved a sigh and met his gaze. "Fine, but we need to get you cleaned up. Can I borrow a shirt?"

"Yeah, help me upstairs," Derek asked. Scarlet helped him off the sofa and up the stairs. He directed her to a bedroom and she helped him onto the bed. Derek tugged his shirt off and Scarlet gasped when she saw the wound on his chest.

"Jesus, it will heal right?"

Derek nodded as he dropped his shirt on the floor. He closed his eyes tiredly and started to lean back on the bed.

"Oh no, you can't go to sleep yet. We have to get you cleaned up, you have to stay conscious, talk to me, just don't go to sleep," Scarlet ordered. She looked around the room spotting the door to the bathroom after a moment. She rushed in and grabbed several towels soaking them in warm water. "Derek talk to me!"

"About what," he snapped.

"Anything, just talk," Scarlet ordered as she brought the towels back in the room and sat them on the floor. She grabbed one and began to wipe the blood off his chest. Derek growled loudly at her when she brushed the towel over the wound. He lunged forward, but Scarlet flinched back, falling onto the floor. She stared up at Derek, a frightened look on her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I wasn't thinking. I'm too weak to really control it right now," Derek said as he reached for her. She took his hand and let him help her back up. His fingers trailed through her hair as she continued to tend to him. "Did it hurt you?"

Scarlet shook her head at him, not wanting to tell him what had happened. She knew he would go after it, but she didn't want to know why the alpha was doing this. What was so special about her? Why did it keep finding her and messing up her mark?

"Scar, I can see the blood on your shirt, I can smell it too."

Scarlet sighed and set down the towel, she stared at Derek for a moment before tugging her shirt off and turning around so he could see what had happened. She drew her knees into her chest as she stared at the wall.

"What does it want Derek? Why does it keep doing this to me," Scarlet whispered.

"Its not about you, its me."

"If it involves you, it involves me now too. I'm your mate," Scarlet pointed out. She turned her head slightly so she could see him. "I didn't think it would be like this."

Derek studied her for a moment before picking up one of the towels and cleaning off the blood on her back. Scarlet turned so she was facing him and rested her chin on his knee. "What did you think it would be like," he asked.

"In a span of about twenty minutes I found out what you are and became your mate. After what happened that first night with Scott I had no illusions of what this life would be like. I knew that this was going to be hard, but I never thought it would be like this. Constantly being afraid, people trying to hurt us at every turn, my family being in danger, that isn't what I wanted."

"What did you want Scarlet?"

Scarlet glanced up at him holding his gaze for a long moment before speaking. "You."

Derek helped her up so she was sitting in his lap. She rested her head against his neck, letting her eyes slowly drift shut. "We aren't supposed to be together you know," she whispered.

"I think this case is the exception," Derek replied.

Scarlet's lips brushed against his neck and he let out a low groan. Derek turned his head catching her in a deep kiss. She immediately shifted so that she was straddling him. His hands fisted in her hair as he leaned back, pulling her onto the bed with him. Scarlet let out a soft giggle as Derek rolled them so he was on top of her.

Derek deepened the kiss as his hand traveled across her torso. Scarlet arched against him, her hips pressing hard against his. She moaned softly as his lips ghosted down her neck.

"We shouldn't do this," she whispered.

"Why," Derek asked as he glanced up at her.

"It will only make me miss you more when tonight is over."

Derek settled on the bed next to her, pulling her close to him as he did so. Scarlet set her head on his chest, careful to make sure she wasn't touching his wound. His arm wrapped around her, his fingers brushing through her hair that fell over her shoulders.

Her eyes drifted shut and she was suddenly somewhere else. The room was on fire, all the walls were burning and smoke burned her eyes. She stumbled toward the door but couldn't find it. She flinched back from the overwhelming heat of the walls. She finally found the door and grabbed the doorknob, crying out when it burnt her hand. She managed to wrench the door open, but was confronted by a hallway of fire. People were stumbling through the fire, screaming and begging for help.

Scarlet sat up with a scream, jerking away from Derek as she moved. Derek grabbed her shoulder and she cried out again, moving away from him. She ran her hands through her hair trying to calm down. Derek put a hand on her elbow as he sat up behind her.

"What is it? What happened," Derek asked.

"There was a fire, the room was burning, I couldn't get out and when I did, the hallway was on fire and there were people, screaming for help, it was awful," she explained. She glanced down at her stinging hand and let out a gasp. Derek slid his hand down her arm and turned her hand so he could see it too.

"Did that happen at the school," he asked.

"No, I don't know where it came from. It... it wasn't there earlier."

"It's a burn, how is your hand burned?"

"In my dream I grabbed the doorknob and it burned my hand."

"You were dreaming though, you didn't actually touch a burning doorknob," Derek pointed out.

"I know, but I don't know how else I could have burned my hand," Scarlet replied. She met his gaze and shook her head. "Derek, what is going on?"

Before he could answer her, her phone rang interrupting him. Scarlet dug her phone out of her pocket and quickly answered it. "Stiles, are you ok? What is going on?"

Scarlet listened to what he said her eyes widening angrily. "He did what," she demanded. "Is everyone ok?"

Derek stared at her as he waited for her to explain what was going on to him. He reached for the phone but she waved him off as she stood up. "Why would he say that though? Does he not understand how bad he just made things? Its not bad enough that he was prime suspect in a murder case and is being hunted but now we have to deal with this too? Scott just signed his death sentence!"

"What is going on," Derek demanded.

"Stiles, cover for me, I'll be home in a while. If not tell dad I'm spending the night with a friend. I've got to tell Derek what is going on."

With that she hung up the phone and met Derek's gaze. "Scott told everyone that it was you tonight in the school. Apparently, Lydia, Jackson, and Allison showed up at the school and the alpha tried to kill them all. Scott seems to think that the alpha is going to force him to kill them though. They all told my dad that you are the killer though. We have to get out of here Derek. This is the first place they are going to look for you."

"Scott did what," Derek said as he stared at her in disbelief. He heard something though and leapt to his feet. "Cars are on their way up here, we have to go."

Scarlet tugged her shirt back on and grabbed a duffle bag out of the closet. She quickly stuffed some of Derek's clothes into it and followed him out of the house. They climbed in the car and headed out by the other driveway. It didn't take long for them to reach the main road.

"We need to hide your car, its way to conspicious," Scarlet advised. Derek pulled into abandoned factory and parked his car inside where it was out of sight. Scarlet buried her face in her hands and let out a groan. "Why is this happening to us? Why can't things ever be simple or easy?"

Derek leaned back in his seat and sighed. "I don't know Scar."

"It's like the entire world doesn't want us together! Its like everything is conspiring to ruin this before it even gets started!"

"Scarlet, we are not together. Yes we are mates, but for right now, until this is over with the alpha, we can't be together."

"We are together right now," Scarlet cried as she looked at him. "What do you want me to do? Get out of the car, walk home, and leave you here, bleeding? Do you want me to pretend that I'm ok with this when I am scared to death for us both?"

"You being with me puts you in danger Scarlet! How do you not understand that? We can't be together."

"I know that! I'm not stupid Derek, we have talked about this. I know that we can't be together, but we are together right now whether you like it or not. You need help Derek, things are going to get a lot worse after what Scott did! I'm all you've got right now!"

"I know," Derek snapped.

Scarlet realized the weight of her comment too late. She met his angry gaze and flinched. "I didn't mean it like that Derek. I just meant that, right now, in this moment, I am all you have to help you. It's not like we can go find someone to help us out, my brother and Scott aren't going to be any help. My dad thinks you are a killer, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know Scarlet!"

"We have to figure something out," Scarlet cried frantically. She felt her chest tighten and her heartrate increase. She pushed a hand into her hair, clutching at it desperately. She drew in a ragged breath and closed her eyes. She jerked when she felt Derek's hand on her shoulder.

"You have to calm down," Derek said softly. He pulled her hand from her hair and began to run his fingers through her hair. "It's going to be ok Scarlet, we are going to be ok."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Scarlet stirred slightly, groaning at her protesting muscles. She sat up slowly, running a hand through her messy curls. Derek strechted and let out a yawn. They had spent the night in his car. Scarlet glanced over at him and smiled slightly. Derek trailed his hand over her cheek and quickly gave her a kiss.

Scarlet rested her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent. Derek wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "So you are going to lay low for a couple of days right," Scarlet asked.

"Yeah, you have to go home soon though," Derek replied. "Your dad is going to wonder where you are."

"I know," Scarlet whispered. She glanced up at him and let out a soft sigh. "I wish there was something I could do to help you."

"Scarlet we talked about this," Derek pointed out. They had spent most of the night talking about it actually. He couldn't change her, then the hunters would be after her as well. She couldn't tell anyone what was going on, who was going to believe her?

"I know, I know. I just want to help you, I hate not being able to do anything for you. You are risking your life just being around me. You could leave town if it weren't for me being your mate. Things keep getting worse and more dangerous, you are going to be the most wanted person in the state of California."

"Scarlet, you are doing something for me, you are keeping yourself safe while I figure this out. That is all you can do right now," Derek assured her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. Scarlet looked up at him and smiled once again before sliding away from him.

"I should get back, my dad is going to wonder where I am."

Derek nodded and reached around her to push the car door open. "You ok to walk from here? You want me to walk you back?"

"No, you have to lay low. I can walk myself back, its not far. I'll be fine. I'll call you when I get there."

"You can't call me," Derek reminded her. "They'll be tracking my phone. We can't have any contact for a few days. If something happens tell Scott, he'll know how to find me."

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe we should stay together," Scarlet suggested.

"They'll think I've kidnapped you if you don't come home Scar. I'll be fine, I just have to lay low for a few days while I figure out how to deal with the alpha."

Scarlet nodded silently before leaning her head against his shoulder. "Just tell me that everything is going to be ok, that we will both be ok."

"Everything is going to be ok, you will be ok, and I will be ok," Derek assured her. "Now go home, before they think you've been kidnapped."

Scarlet climbed out of the car and took a few steps away. She turned back and looked at him. "Be careful, please be careful, for both our sakes," Scarlet pleaded.

"I will be," Derek promised.

Scarlet nodded once more before turning away. She walked away without looking back, but she could feel his eyes on her as she went. She knew they were both worried, but things had to be this way. It didn't take long for her to get home from there. She noted that her dad's car was not in the driveway, so she quickly headed inside.

Scarlet knocked on Stiles' door before pushing it open. He was still asleep though. Scarlet shut the door back and headed into her room. She gasped when she saw Scott sitting on her bed.

"What are you doing here," she demanded.

"Where is he," Scott asked.

"Stiles is in his room, what are you doing in here?"

"Not Stiles, Derek! I need to talk to him," Scott cried.

"I'm not telling you where he is Scott! Thanks to you, he is now the most wanted man in California. What the hell were you thinking with that?"

"I was thinking that I couldn't tell people the truth! It doesn't matter though because Alison broke up with me, now I have to talk to Derek and stop the alpha so I can get her back."

"Why did she break up with you," Scarlet asked as she sat down next to him on the bed. She was pissed at him for what he had done, but he looked so upset.

"She said she can't trust me. Look, I'm sorry for what I did, I really am, but I didn't know what else to do! I had to say something and telling Alison, Jackson, and Lydia about the werewolf thing was not an option. Besides I thought Derek was dead, it wasn't until we got out of the school last night that I realized he wasn't. How did you guys get away?"

"It wasn't easy, the Alpha found us while I was trying to wake up Derek. They fought, but I guess Derek managed to get rid of him long enough for us to get out of there. We took his car back to his house, but we figured the police would look for him there, so we spent the night in his car."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know Scott! I can't call him, it will lead the police to him! He said that if something happens to tell you, that you would be able to find him," Scarlet explained.

"Are you ok? You smell like blood."

"The alpha got me again, it tore open my mark. Trust me, Derek had it way worse than I did last night. I had no idea healing was that painful of a process for you guys."

"Yeah, its great," Scott said sarcastically.

Scarlet smiled sadly at him. "Don't worry Scott, we'll figure out who the alpha is and then you can get Alison back. Everything will be ok, it has to be."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Scarlet didn't see Derek all weekend. She hadn't expected to see him, she knew it was dangerous, but she had no idea if he was ok. For all she knew the hunters or the alpha had gotten him. Stiles took Scott out to get him drunk, but apparently Stiles was the only one to get drunk. Scarlet chose to stay home, but she still heard all about it from Stiles.

Apparently Scott was taking hostility to a whole new level on the full moon though. Scarlet had done as she was told and stayed home. Sleep hadn't come easy for her the last couple of days. Every time she went to sleep she had a nightmare, sometimes it was about the fire, other times there was a man that was chasing her, mostly though she was walking through the woods, there was mist everywhere and she knew someone was after her, but she was trying to find Derek and couldn't get to him.

Scarlet fell asleep in front of her computer, on top of her bed. She had the nightmare again where she was walking through the woods. This time though the man was calmly following her, just out of sight. Scarlet wasn't afraid of him though, she knew there was something familiar about him.

"I have something for you, there is something that I need you to do for me. Will you help me Scarlet," he asked.

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you, I know about your relationship with Derek, I know that you paint and play the piano. I know that you are afraid to sing for Derek, because you don't like to share that part of yourself. Now will you help me?"

"Will you tell me who you are?"

"Eventually, but right now all I need to know is if you will help me."

"I'll help you, what do you need me to do?"

"I have a message that I need to get to Derek. Can I trust you to deliver it for me," he asked. Scarlet could see him coming closer to her through the mist but she couldn't see his face yet.

"Of course," she said nervously. "What is the message?"

"I think he will understand it just fine, now don't move," he ordered in a smooth voice. Red eyes were staring at her through the mist and a low growl suddenly reverberated through the dark woods.

Scarlet took a step back to run away turning as she did so, but she never got the chance to run. Her body hit the ground and she could feel blood rushing out of her. She drew in a ragged breath and tried to scream, but nothing came out. She stared up into the red eyes of the alpha as he leaned closer to her.

"You will be mine."

"Scarlet, can you hear me? Scarlet? Look at me," someone demanded.

Scarlet let out a low groan, her entire body protesting in pain. Her eyes fluttered open and she drew in a ragged breath. Her vision cleared and she realized that she was in the woods. She closed her eyes and someone pulled her into a sitting position. Scarlet cried out in pain and the person let go of her, her body dropped back to the ground and she groaned loudly.

"Scarlet, what are you doing out here? Why are you bleeding? What happened to you," he asked. "Will you say something please?"

"Derek," she replied as she reopened her eyes. Her brown eyes locked with his green ones and she let out a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing out here? What are you thinking being out on the full moon?"

"I don't know how I got here Derek. I was asleep in my room, and then... I had a dream, but I... I can't remember what happened. There was blood though, I was bleeding, and I was supposed to tell you something."

"What's in your hand Scarlet," Derek asked as he held up her tightly closed fist. She uncurled her fingers, a piece of paper falling free. Derek picked it up and silently read whatever it said. The look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. This message was not good, and she was now in more danger than ever.

"What does it say," she asked.

"She will be mine."

"It's from the alpha."

Derek met her gaze and nodded his head. "We should get you home. The alpha must have clawed you again, your back is bleeding."

"What about you," she asked as he scooped her off the ground. She leaned against him, her body sagging tiredly against his. She inhaled sharply as pain shot through her back.

"In case you haven't noticed, I was born for roaming the woods at night, you were not. I'll be fine."

"You are worried."

"I have a lot to be worried about," Derek pointed out. "Hunters, the alpha, being wanted, now this."

"Do you ever wish you hadn't met me? Your life would be so much easier if your mate were another werewolf or someone who could protect herself," Scarlet whispered.

"No Scarlet, you are my mate, we are bound together, no matter what! This connection goes beyond choice, chemistry, and fate, it's everything. It's how I knew you were in the woods tonight and that something was wrong. I would not change this."

Scarlet let her head rest against his shoulder as he carried her back to her house. She could feel herself growing weaker, and wondered how much blood she had lost. Derek didn't seem too concerned about the wound though. Derek paused when he reached her backyard, glancing around nervously.

"They aren't home, Stiles is supposed to be with Scott and my dad is working," Scarlet whispered.

"Stiles wasn't with Scott, I saw him earlier."

"Why did you see Scott?"

"He almost attacked Alison and Jackson, he's agreed to help me find the Alpha though," Derek explained. He managed to get the backdoor open without having to set her down. It didn't take long for him to carry her up to her room once they were inside.

Derek carried her into the bathroom, sitting her on the edge of the tub and turning on the water. She gasped when the cold water splashed against her skin. Derek helped her tug off her clothes and climb into the water. She shivered as she drew her knees up into her chest, trying to stay warm. Derek went back into her bedroom and found some clothes for her to change into.

Derek knelt next to the tub, and grabbed a washcloth. "This is going to sting," he warned before he began to clean the wound on her back. Scarlet yelped in pain and flinched away from him. Derek continued to clean her back, despite her tears. She could see the water turning pink from all the blood.

Derek drained the water from the tub, before filling it back up. He washed her off, she was covered in dirt from the woods. He finally finished and helped her out of the tub, wrapping her in a towel as he did so. Scarlet leaned into him again, resting her forehead against his chest.

"I need to bandage up your back," Derek reminded her.

Scarlet let out a sigh and nodded her head. She sat on the edge of the tub again, and swept her hair over one shoulder. She shifted the towel so that her back was completely exposed. "How bad is it Derek?"

"It's fine," he said tensely. Scarlet could tell that he wasn't being honest though, it was worse than he was letting on.

Scarlet stood up and pushed past him so she could look in the mirror in her room. She twisted around and glanced at her reflection over her shoulder. She gasped loudly when she saw the marks. They started just below her mark and ended above the base of her spine. "It's fine," she snapped. "Derek, this runs the entire length of my back! How is this fine?"

"It could be a lot worse," Derek replied as he took her hand and pulled her back into the bathroom.

"How could this be worse?"

"He could have killed you or he could have changed you, that's how. He didn't though, so let's be thankful for that."

"Yeah I'm really thankful to have scars all over my back because of a psycho werewolf with something against us! Gee what is it going to do next? Get me pregnant," Scarlet cried.

"Don't joke like that," Derek said darkly.

"Oh my god, do you really think it would do that?"

"Scarlet, the alpha has proven that it is completely unpredictable. I have no idea what it is going to do! Right now though, I need you to calm down, and let me take care of this before your dad and Stiles get home."

Scarlet fell silent and turned back aroud to let him put the bandages on. Once he finished, he helped her get redressed. She held the shirt he had brought in her hands, staring down at it instead of putting it on.

"It doesn't smell like you anymore," she said softly. Derek realized that it was the shirt he had given her the first time she had been attacked. "It smells like me, and stuff like that just makes this harder. I know we can't be together, because its not safe, but not being able to see you at all is... its just... I just miss you."

Derek took the shirt from her hands and set it on the counter. He tugged off the shirt he was wearing and pushed her arms up so he could slip the shirt on her. He pulled the other shirt on and smiled at her. "It's a little dirty, but it will smell like me. I'll check on you in a few days and bring you another one," he offered.

"Can you stay with me? Just for tonight? I don't want to be alone and after what just happened, I'm scared."

"Scarlet," Derek said tiredly. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay with her, he did, but he knew that staying would make leaving again even harder. It was ridiculous, they had spent so little time together, but already he couldn't stand being away from her, especially while she was in danger like this. He didn't understand how the alpha had gotten her out of the house. It didn't make any sense why the alpha wanted her at all, yes she was his mate, but she was human, she was just a girl, what importance could she have for the alpha?

"I know, I'm sorry, you are supposed to be keeping a low profile and spending the night at the sheriff's house isn't exactly laying low. I... I sleep better when you are here, I keep having these nightmares, I don't mean to unload on you or make you feel like you have to stay," Scarlet said as she looked away from him, her hair falling in her face. "I can't talk to anyone else about this, not even Stiles. I just feel like I'm all alone."

"You aren't alone Scarlet, we are in this together and you can talk to Stiles, he is your twin afterall. As much as he annoys me, he does care about you and he would want to know what is going on with you," Derek pointed out. He pushed her hair out of her face so he could look at her. "I'll stay, just for tonight."

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

"I can't promise that."

Scarlet nodded and took his hand pulling him out of the bathroom and over to her bed. Derek sat down on the bed as she went over to the door and pushed it shut. She flopped down on the bed bouncing slightly. She let out a whimper of pain as it jolted her back. She rolled onto her stomach, resting her head against her arm. Derek ran his fingers through her hair as she stared up at him.

Scarlet's eyes slowly drifted shut as Derek settled next to her. He kept his eyes on her face as she began to fall asleep. A noise outside jolted her awake though. Derek was immediately on alert and moved to her window to look outside.

"Your dad and Stiles are back."

Scarlet heaved a sigh and slowly sat up. Derek pressed a kiss to her forehead before going in the bathroom and shutting the door. She drew her knees into her chest and grabbed a book off her nightstand. She flipped it open to a random page and pretended to be reading it.

"You won't believe what happened," Stiles exclaimed as he burst into her room. He threw himself onto the foot of her bed and pressed his hands against his face. "Scott is totally out of control. We have to figure out who the alpha is."

"Yeah, we do," Scarlet replied as she dropped the book on the floor. "What did he do now?"

"He told me he would talk to Lydia for me, then he made out with her."

"He did what," Scarlet demanded. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, maybe it was the full moon."

"Don't make excuses for him Stiles, he knows what she means to you."

"So... how are you doing? Have you heard from Derek?"

"Yeah," Scarlet said as she glanced at her bathroom door. Stiles followed her gaze and Derek opened the door and shook his head at her. "Something happened tonight Stiles."

"What," Stiles asked as he glanced between them.

"The alpha got her out of the house and into the woods," Derek explained.

"I was having a dream. I was walking through the woods and there was a man following me. I couldn't see who he was though. He knew my name and things about me. He asked me to help him with something, he said there was a message he needed me to deliver. When I agreed, he turned into the alpha, I tried to get away but I couldn't and he attacked me again."

She twisted around and showed Stiles the marks on her back. She dropped the shirt and turned back to Stiles. "I've been having nightmares lately, all related to the alpha I think. We are pretty sure that the alpha is trying to keep Derek and I apart. After tonight its more obvious than ever, I had a note in my hand that said she will be mine. Whoever it is doesn't want Derek and I together. The Argents know about us too, Mr. Argent saw us together at the gas station."

"Are you ok? Why didn't you tell me about any of this," Stiles asked as Derek rejoined them on the bed. Scarlet took Derek's hand and exchanged a look with him.

"I didn't want you to worry, I was also afraid that you would blame this on Derek. I know how you feel about him," Scarlet explained.

"Scar, he's your... boyfriend? I don't know what you are calling him, but I know this isn't his fault. This is all the alpha's doing. We have to figure out who it is and how to stop them."

**So, chapter 21 has a sex scene in it, how do you guys feel about that? The story is rated T, but I think I'm going to bump it up to M. I feel like the story is starting to deal with some heavier stuff, and now with the sex... just let me know what you guys think.**


End file.
